Weather wise, it had been a pleasant afternoon. The sky had been cloudy, but there were spans of time when the sun was able to peer through the fluffy curtains of the sky to bathe the ground with light and warmth. Definitely an improvement from the recent rain showers lately.
The air smelled sweet and slightly fresh, and a light breeze rustled the leaves of the overhanging tree branches. Pokemon of various species passed through the area, remaining alert for potential danger as they wandered towards the lake to drink. Even the occasional human trainer could be seen at times, often accompanied by one or two of their team's Pokemon. These Pokemon were noticeably more relaxed than the wild passerby, and visibly delighted by the opportunity to walk outside of their Pokeballs and enjoy the comfortable spring air.
Dark brown eyes observed all these things and more, from beneath the shelter of a small tree. A bushy brown tail swished in a carefree manner, but its owner's body tensed each time another figure came into view, as if the tail operated independently of its master's thoughts.
Today had been rather ordinary, and it was a tough call as to whether this was a positive or a negative. The Eevee had awoken early, a troublesome feat at times, but he had far too much experience with rude awakenings to risk another by sleeping in. There had been a number of close calls with self-proclaimed 'go-getter' Pokemon trainers rising at the crack of dawn and nearly stumbling upon his location, or wild Pokemon becoming antsy about him infringing on their territory.
Blaze's eyes focused upon a passing trainer walking beside a small green quadruped with a large single leaf atop its head. The small Grass-type happily bounced around its trainer's legs, and the human knelt to fondly stroke the Pokemon's back. Neither of them were close enough to notice that they were being watched, and they continued on their way moments later, having paused only to get some water at the lake. The Eevee heaved a quiet sigh, a sense of bitterness welling up within his chest.
It wasn't that he envied the Pokemon's arrangement. On the contrary, he had next to no interest in being a trainer's pet, or whatever the role was considered to be. All the same, it was painful to see two individuals so happy with one another's company, and so openly affectionate towards one another. Something about it got him incensed, and reawakened a gnawing sense of frustration and bitterness that never truly faded away. It was unfair to dislike them for the bond they shared with one another, yet the feelings still burned within him.
Blaze forced his gaze away from the retreating pair, glaring instead at the strands of grass waving under the light of the setting sun. And to think, today had been going so well, too. He had bathed, and groomed, and eaten, and had even gone through the trouble of doing some exercises, all a part of his daily routine, but it was now, during his rest break, when his mood tended to sour.
Maybe it had to do with how his thoughts tended to wander whenever evening was upon him, when he became most aware of just how hollow and inadequate he felt when compared to those who had another person in their life that they cared about. Befitting of his name, the Eevee's mood had never really been considered 'stable', especially not when he was younger. It was always so easy to rile him up over nothing, and nothing he ever did was able to change this.
At the end of the day, he had nothing. No home, no family, no friends, no mate.
Blaze raised a forepaw and slapped himself across the cheek, hard enough to prompt a slight whimper, but the self-inflicted strike did its job, and forced his thoughts away the overwhelming bitterness welling up within him. The stinging sensation that lingered in his cheek was the only reminder, a numbness he wished would extend to the memories themselves. To have the pain fade away into oblivion, and be replaced with a simple, carefree joy, filled with promise and hope for the future, and not dwell in what had been cast aside.
The idea had seemed to simple at the start. To walk away from one's toxic world and free oneself from the shackles of the past. Yet starting one's life over is never as easy as one might believe. Even without the burden of physical possessions, he had to justify his reasons for traveling, and his destinations and goals. Other Pokemon were not particularly impressed by someone wandering the world with no ambition, and often became too curious about the matter, assuming they didn't just label him as a scavenger and treat him with disdain or suspicion.
In all seriousness, Blaze had no idea how he had managed to stick around this area for as long as he had. Everywhere else he had gone resulted in some sort of conflict with the local Pokemon, either because the Eevee had drifted too far into a territory, or because actual scavengers suspected him off the bat and were quick to escalate hostilities. Even this area had a lot of local traffic. Various Pokemon species were out and about on a daily basis, and Pokemon trainers passed through just as regularly, but no one seemed to ever object to his presence when they did see him.
No one ever seemed majorly surprised to see him, either. Were wandering Eevee just a totally normal sight around this area? He had never seen any other members of his species in the area, although the memories of the backlash from infringing on private territories haunted him enough to not go poking around in places too far off the beaten path.
Although he was relieved to have lasted this long, he wasn't convinced that he actually could stay much longer. The constant traffic put him on edge, and with the lake area being such an open, public space, he wasn't comfortable staying here during the night. It was only a matter of time before his close calls of the mornings turned into actual conflicts, and then he'd be forced to wander the region again, unsure of where he was going and what he wanted to accomplish.
The Eevee shook himself, and climbed to his feet. The last lingering Pokemon in the area had just left, so he could risk moving into the open to get a quick drink. Each step was cautious, and his eyes darted around the clearing, confirming that he wasn't overlooking another living creature. As soon as he reached the water's edge, he bent down and drank rapidly, his fur bristling uneasily, all too aware of how vulnerable he was.
His eyes darted about again as he lifted his head, and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. He normally tried to avoid the lake until closer to nightfall, when his presence was less likely to be noticed even if someone came around, but that carried its own risks, and sometimes it just wasn't worth putting off for so long.
Sudden rippling in the water caught his eye, and the Eevee instinctively pulled away from the water's edge, staring intently at the water's surface. Before his very eyes, the water seemed to shift and mold its shape, until a sleek blue quadrupedal figure emerged from the water. It had a ruffled collar and three fish-like fins adorning its face, but the most notable feature had to be the large tail ending in a mermaid-like fin.
The Vaporeon's body glistened with water droplets that slowly dripped from her form, and Blaze felt his cheeks glowing with heat, finding himself somehow incapable of turning his gaze away from the sight. It wasn't like he meant to stare or anything, but it was right there in front of him, and even if he could muster the willpower to look away, he doubted Aureia would prefer him to blatantly stare in the opposite direction.
"Blaze," the Vaporeon intoned, bobbing her head in a strange sort of acknowledgement of his existence. Her dark eyes were always dull, with warmth almost perpetually absent from her gaze, but that was something that never really bothered the Eevee. Recovering a little from his shock at her sudden appearance, the Eevee smiled brightly, and his tail wagged.
"Hi Aureia!" he chirped. "You're looking um..." he faltered, and his cheeks burned again. This was where being a lamentable flirt was coming around to bite him again. Delivering too strong of a compliment would probably annoy her too rapidly, but it didn't seem right to downplay it, either, since her entrance had been rather mesmerizing, but drawing attention to that risked coming off as inappropriate. The only correct answer seemed to be to close his mouth and say nothing.
Aureia considered him, her expression unreadable. When it became clear that the Eevee was genuinely keeping his mouth shut, the trace of an amused smile graced her lovely face. "Thank you," she said simply, sitting down before him and allowing her tail to dip into the water.
"How's your day been?" Blaze asked quickly, eager to move away from the subject of Aureia's physical appearance. "Or...several days. It's been a while."
Five days, to be exact, the Eevee thought to himself, but it was probably better that he keep that comment to himself. The last thing he needed was for Aureia to think he was so pathetic that he kept track of how long they spent apart. That was the type of thing that clingy weirdos would do, and Blaze was not a clingy weirdo.
"I'm sure it was hell," Aureia deadpanned.
"Maybe, but my angel's back now," Blaze replied, moving closer and nuzzling against the Vaporeon's foreleg. Sure, his fur absorbed some of the water that was still running down her leg, but it was worth it, if only for the brief sense of closeness he felt in exchange. Aureia permitted the contact without resistance, but he could still sense the guardedness within her stance. Although the Vaporeon had gradually grown to accept his affection in small, very limited doses, she was still not at a stage where she'd return it.
He then stepped back, out of her personal space, and seated himself down in his previous spot, his tail flicking with enthusiasm. He knew that his interactions with the Vaporeon always carried the vibe that he was flirting with her, or pushing his boundaries just to see what he could get away with, but it was also abundantly clear that if Aureia ever felt he was crossing a line, she would not hesitate to retaliate.
Their earliest interactions had been rocky, for the Eevee had first stumbled across Aureia without realizing she was there until he couldn't avoid being spotted, and he impulsively threw a compliment her way. In his defense, he had experienced several confrontations within another's territory that were resolved by him sucking up and apologizing profusely. When she had dismissed the compliment, he had been afraid that the basic attempt hadn't been enough to discourage her from attacking him, and had ramped up his game.
It was a mistake. A very dire mistake.
In retrospect, Blaze shouldn't have been surprised. Aureia was very beautiful, possibly the most beautiful Pokemon he had ever seen, and her slightly cold, distant demeanor offered a sense of mystery to her that he imagined many males would have found intriguing. He should have realized she would be used to random males flirting with her without invitation, and that she'd be sick of such attention.
She had verbally lashed out at him, only to stop mid-sentence and stare at him with a peculiar expression. To this day, Blaze had no idea what had prompted her to shift her tone, but her backpedaling on the matter had allowed them to salvage the interaction, and arrange for future meetings.
"So?" Blaze prompted, smiling at the Vaporeon. "How've you been doing?"
"Fine," Aureia replied flatly. The Eevee really didn't expect to get anything more verbose than that. Aureia was not the talkative type, but that didn't bother him. She didn't need to talk a lot for him to be fascinated by her, and it was always a treat when she did open up a little more, and share some of her personal details.
She was really the first Pokemon in ages that Blaze had gotten the chance to know better on a personal level, and she was unlike any of the Pokemon he had met previously. She didn't have some grand ambition to be a powerful battler or rank in some sort of competition. The bond between her and her trainer appeared to be very genuine, and in the rare occasions that Blaze actually got to see her trainer, it was clearly a relationship of trust. Although Aureia was just as distant when interacting with her trainer as she was when interacting with Blaze, she made her feelings known through other little things.
She was quiet and stoic, but she listened attentively when he talked to her, and occasionally smiled or displayed other facial expressions at some of the things he said and did. The real trick to dealing with her moodiness was recognizing that, above all else, she made her disapproval very obvious, much more so than she made her signs of approval. Understanding that a lukewarm response was still a good sign was crucial to keeping the conversation from becoming awkward or frustrating.
Sometimes, Blaze wondered whether the Vaporeon just craved company, much like he did. Not a love interest, or even a friend to make plans with, but just the physical presence of someone who didn't aggravate her too badly, and who could appreciate silence without needing to fill the void with meaningless noise. She often seemed lonely, unable to find someone to give sincere attention to her, while overlooking her personality flaws.
It sometimes troubled him, as a rogue train of thought visiting in the middle of the night, that her refusal, or inability, to show much emotion was similar to how he coped with his past. He clung only to memories of pain and anger, and longed for those memories to be removed, and sometimes even for him to feel nothing at all. Maybe Aureia had already reached that point years ago, and became almost unfeeling because elements of her past still hurt her too deeply.
The Eevee blinked, and wiped away the trickle of moisture that had leaked from his eye. Sheesh, that had only been a hypothetical thought, so why would he get so upset about it, as if he had uncovered some secret tragedy? Aureia was literally sitting right in front of him, yet here he was musing to himself about how she might be suffering on the inside.
"I hope I didn't interrupt your swim," Blaze said, forcing a chipper tone back into his voice, and hoping that she hadn't noticed his errant tear. "Didn't expect you to be here so early, otherwise I'd have brought you a gift."
"If you were interrupting, I wouldn't have shown myself," Aureia replied bluntly. "I was hoping you'd come by, anyway."
"Really?" Blaze asked, his heart nearly jumping into his throat, and his tail wagging with far too much enthusiasm. "Why?"
"Because I think you're cute," Aureia deadpanned.
"Works for me," Blaze said, grinning. He knew it was a sarcastic reference to their previous conversation several nights ago, but was it so wrong to enjoy being complimented?
Aureia rolled her eyes, and silence settled over them again. Taking advantage of the lull, Blaze carefully stepped around the Vaporeon to drink again from the lake. When he was satisfied, instead of returning to his previous spot, he sat down beside the Vaporeon and leaned against her side, resting his head at her shoulder. Aureia glanced in his direction, and for a moment, he was sure that she was going to nudge him away, as she often did whenever he was too close for her liking, but seconds passed without objection.
"I'm sorry, is this bothering you?" Blaze asked, a little unnerved by the lack of resistance. Usually Aureia only tolerated very brief shows of affection, and if he tried to draw them out longer than a second or two, she would push him away, gently, but with a firmness that clearly communicated that she wanted it to stop. So long as he always respected those boundaries, she was tolerant of his compliments and affection.
"Yes."
"It is?" Blaze asked, mildly alarmed by the bluntness of her response. He immediately made to move away, but found his escape route unexpectedly restricted by the water Eeveelution's tail, which she had removed from the water and drawn around her body without him noticing. "Um...what's going on?" the Eevee wondered.
He wasn't literally trapped, as he could easily squeeze past Aureia's forelegs or climb over her tail to get out of the partial loop created around him, but the Vaporeon's intent to keep him close was clear enough. He just had no idea WHY, especially after she just said the earlier contact was bothering her.
"I want to talk with you," Aureia said quietly, avoiding eye contact awkwardly. "On a personal level, I guess. Few things I want to ask you about. If you don't mind..."
The Eevee blinked, slightly taken aback. It was actually kind of obvious that the Vaporeon had practiced those lines, because she spoke them a bit unnaturally. Her intent seemed genuine, but it still wasn't some spur of the moment request, or something she was even used to suggesting. For that matter, Blaze had always sort of gotten the impression that although Aureia was willing to listen to others talk about themselves, she was rarely invested enough to ask for more details.
"Um...okay, but could you like...not do that with your tail?" he asked, using his paw to indicate the partial loop. Aureia seemed momentarily confused, as if she legitimately had no idea why he would object to it, causing the Eevee to sigh."It's making me feel trapped. It's not an embrace, and it's not a shield. It's confining me to a space that I'm not comfortable in."
"You were fine with being there before," Aureia pointed out blankly, and Blaze experienced a jolt of exasperation, mixed with anxiety. Did she seriously not understand how the sense of confinement played with his instincts to flee an area he perceived as unsafe? He had spelled it out that she was making him feel trapped, and if she had any respect for his boundaries, she shouldn't even hesitate to accommodate his request.
The Eevee's eyes darted about with growing anxiety, and it took him a moment to realize that he was breathing harder, and his heart rate had accelerated. Aureia stared at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern, but staring at him wasn't the action he needed to happen.
"Just move the tail!" he snapped, his fur bristling in agitation, and he even went as far as to bare his fangs at her. It didn't matter that she was probably stronger than him, or an evolved Pokemon, or even that she was a beautiful female that actually gave him the time of day, and that attacking her in any form might destroy their relationship. She was making him feel trapped, and he would not hesitate to bite her if it would help him get free.
Aureia actually flinched, pulling her entire body away from the agitated Eevee, and moving several paces back, giving him more than sufficient breathing room. Blaze shivered, still breathing harder than before, but he was staring at the ground now, unwilling to meet her eyes. Had she not moved when she did, he knew he would have bitten her. He had even mentally marked her foreleg as the most vulnerable target.
"Sorry," Aureia mumbled awkwardly, but Blaze didn't trust himself to reply. All his energy was instead focused on calming himself down. It had been ages since he last experienced a borderline panic attack, especially one when there was no immediate danger. Did Aureia just not remember how incredibly vulnerable it felt like to be an Eevee? Sure, every member of the evolutionary line could be considered a potential predator, but Eevee themselves were sometimes viewed as prey among higher-level predators, and that's why they often banded together into small packs or clans - the safety in numbers was too valuable to pass up, and having even just one evolved Eevee among the group was infinitely more security than the strength in numbers alone.
So how did she think it'd feel for him to feel threatened or trapped by a Pokemon he instinctively viewed as protection and security? He never consciously thought of Aureia as such, but to his instincts, it was undeniable. He felt safer around her than when she was absent, among other things that only made sense if he recognized that, subconsciously, he viewed her as a protector.
"...are you okay?" Aureia asked, uncomfortably aware of the fact the Eevee still had said anything.
"I'll live," Blaze muttered, casting her a glare, but immediately regretted it. The Vaporeon didn't show any outward indication of being bothered by the dirty look, but when she next spoke, the guardedness in her voice had returned.
"So I'm guessing tonight's a bad time to try to talk?" she asked. Not a trace of vulnerability remained within her words, and Blaze winced internally. It was only in times like this, when she spoke in such a clipped, unemotional fashion, that the Eevee realized, as stupid as it sounded, that Aureia was starting to warm up to him. He really only noticed whenever she rebuilt the wall between them, and it reminded him of their earliest interactions.
"Um...we can still...talk," Blaze said weakly. It was really hard to know what to do when Aureia closed up like that. There was the slim chance of still salvaging the interaction, but if not, then the evening was ruined, and they'd have to begin again the next time. The problem was that Aureia's emotional barrier was nearly impossible to chisel through once she reinforced it. If she was affronted, angry, or otherwise irked enough to withdraw, then she wasn't going to make herself vulnerable again.
Aureia didn't say anything, and just watched the Eevee in silence, as if she expected him to begin the conversation, even though she was the one who earlier indicated she wanted to talk to him.
Blaze made a tentative step towards her, but her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth, and he stopped, immediately picking up on how unwelcome an approach would be. He frowned to himself and sat, ears drooping slightly.
Second ticked by in silence. Every time Blaze thought of something to say, he stopped himself. Aureia appeared stoic, but he could practically feel the negativity brewing within her. She wasn't willing to show him her anger, but he could just sense it all the same. The way her gaze had hardened, and the rigidness of her stance...she just plain wasn't going to show him any weakness.
"You know what, forget it," Blaze said abruptly, and he stood up, his fur bristling slightly. Aureia blinked once, and the Eevee scowled. "The evening's ruined anyway, and you're being all passive-aggressive, even though YOU'RE the one who spoiled my mood. So fine, be pissed off and give me the silent treatment, but don't expect me to kiss up to you next time. I should have just bitten you."
He paused his spiel, judging the Vaporeon's reaction. She had blinked again (wow, lot of expression going on there), but he wasn't satisfied by the overall lack of response. She had also maybe tilted her head slightly, as if mulling over his words, but again, not good enough.
"Actually, you know what? I AM going to just bite you, because screw it," Blaze said, and darted forward, far faster than he normally moved. Before the Vaporeon had time to process what he said, or react to his movement, he clamped his teeth around Aureia's foreleg. Her yelp of surprise and pain was enough to satisfy him, and he released her leg and backed away, staring into her eyes unapologetically. He was easily within her range if she wanted to retaliate, and his eyes presented the very challenge for her to do so.
It would completely destroy their friendship if she took him up on it, but at this point, Blaze didn't care. If she was going to be stupidly passive-aggressive over issues SHE caused, then he sure hell wasn't going to roll over and take it.
Aureia studied her bitten leg, before glancing over at Blaze. Unfortunately, the only reaction was a mildly intrigued expression. She wasn't confused, and she wasn't angry. She was more...curious. The bite wasn't even bad enough to draw blood, and the mark would heal rapidly, thanks to her species' unique affinity with water.
The silence dragged on for another couple of seconds, and Blaze's patience started to wear thin.
"I'm going to bite you again if you don't say something soon," he growled.
"No, you won't," Aureia stated simply.
"Excuse me?" Blaze demanded.
"You won't bite me again," Aureia repeated clearly. "Because biting me the first time was to make a statement. If I ignored you, you'd bite again, but you don't WANT to."
Blaze cocked his head at the Vaporeon, perplexed. Where exactly was she pulling this idea from? He couldn't really deny it, but she seemed completely sure of what she was saying. She wasn't even gloating or acting smug, so she wasn't calling his bluff.
Aureia seemed to recognize his confusion, because she smiled faintly. "Ember used to do the same thing, ages ago. She'd lash out to make a point about something, and then threaten to do it again, but the surge of aggression would be gone. She could almost never bring herself to scratch someone the second time...unless the warning was ignored completely."
The Vaporeon paused, studying the Eevee with a hint of amusement.
"If you're anything like Ember was...I'm guessing right now you want little else but a reassurance that your outburst caused no lasting harm, and then you'd gladly put the whole matter behind us."
Blaze stared at the Vaporeon, and she must have read the truth in his eyes, because she smirked momentarily and her tail flicked, causing the Eevee to avert his gaze and grumble under his breath.
Aureia sighed, "I really do want to talk, though. That okay, or do you need a reassurance yet?"
Blaze frowned slightly. "You can TRY, but I'm pretty fed up with things right now."
Aureia sighed again, but then looked over her shoulder, followed by gazing around the area slowly, as if she expected to be ambushed in the near future. Needless to say, this behavior was NOT reassuring in the wake of how their little fight had been sparked by Blaze's sense of vulnerability.
"What are you-?" Blaze began, but Aureia replied by stepping closer and brushed her nose against his ear in the most awkward display of affection he had ever witnessed. He could only describe it as something halfway between a lick and a nuzzle. He could tell what she was going for, but the execution was...completely absurd, and she backed off immediately afterwards.
"That's the best you're getting. And if you tell anyone, I'll deny it," she said blandly. Blaze stared at her incredulously.
"Not exactly setting a high bar there," he noted, but in spite of his tone, his tail flicked, again demonstrating that it seemed to operate independently of his actual feelings. He probably would have brushed off the weird nudge if it came from literally anyone else, but from Aureia...any attempt of affection seemed infinitely more meaningful and significant than the same action coming from another. It made him feel warm and happy for some reason. It was also so ridiculous that there was no risk of him telling someone about it.
"Yeah, well..." the Vaporeon just trailed off in embarrassment, but Blaze felt like he had the general idea of what she was thinking. This wasn't even technically the first fight they'd had since they met, although it was definitely the first time he had lashed out at her, and the first time it had nearly turned into a physical fight. Even the most minimalistic effort to make amends showed that, despite her guardedness, Aureia did value their relationship. Such a minimal approach wouldn't do much good if the events repeated themselves, but for now, it was enough.
"Fine. What do you want to ask me about?" Blaze asked, moving closer and nuzzling the Vaporeon's foreleg, in his own expression of the reassurance that he wasn't going to hold a grudge. She allowed it for a moment before gently pushing him back, and his tail flicked again, satisfied that the current hostilities had been resolved.
"What are your plans for the next week or two?" the Vaporeon wondered.
The Eevee squinted at her. "Uh...what do you mean?" he asked.
"Just general plans," Aureia answered impatiently, and she gestured to the area around them. "You've been staying in this area for at least as long as I've known you, but you said you travel. Are you going to stay around here, or do you plan to move on soon? What are your plans?"
Blaze hesitated. It had crossed his mind that he might need to move away from this area soon, but he hadn't yet put much thought into where he might go. In truth, he had only remained so long because he hadn't yet been forced out by the local population, and in the wake of the winter months, he preferred the general comfort and convenience of the nearby area over wandering an untamed road. Plus, he could meet Aureia here semi-regularly, and that was a massive benefit. However, as the weather continued to improve and traffic likewise increased, he knew that trying to settle in the area was little more than a pipe dream.
"I don't really know yet," he admitted finally, and bit his lower lip. "I'll probably start traveling again, just not sure when."
"Any idea where you'd be heading? Do you even have a destination, or are you just wandering around the region?" Aureia asked blandly. The Eevee offered a vague shrug in response, and the water Eon rolled her eyes. "Fine, one last question - do you have a Flareon sister?"
Blaze tensed, and his brown eyes widened in alarm, to the point that he resembled a Stantler petrified by the lights of an approaching vehicle. His mouth suddenly felt dry, as if he had been snacking on pieces of cotton, and his brain seemed to find the task of stringing coherent thoughts together to be a skill beyond its capabilities.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Aureia commented, studying the Eevee closely. "That's all I wanted to confirm. Relax, you don't have to explain anything."
"How do you know about Celes?" Blaze asked, finally managing to choke the words out. His eyes were darting around the clearing again, anxiety washing over him like waves on the beach.
"I didn't actually get her name, but she was in Ecruteak City," Aureia answered idly. "Overheard her asking about her brother, and your name got mentioned in the reply."
The Eevee blinked in confusion. "...from who? Who else even knows my name?" he wondered. It was really a testament to how rarely the Eevee lingered in a local area, if Aureia was really one of the few Pokemon he had revealed his name to, and who interacted with him long enough to remember it.
"Noblesse," Aureia supplied dully. Blaze looked at her uncomprehendingly, and the Vaporeon shrugged. "Uh...he's an Ampharos. His trainer is one of Adrian's few female friends, for whatever that's worth," she added, with enough contempt in her voice for Blaze to deduce that the aforementioned female friend was not a human the Vaporeon was fond of.
"Oh," Blaze muttered. Now that she mentioned it, the name did seem vaguely familiar, but it'd probably be a little bit before it clicked.
"I actually have one last question, then I'm done prying," Aureia said quietly. Blaze simply nodded in approval. "Do you know Kuro? A Zoroark?"
Blaze repeated the name to himself, his eyes lazily looking over the lake as he tried to put the name, or species name, to a face or recent event that would jog his memory. After several seconds, he shook his head. He hadn't made many friends or acquaintances in recent months, so there really wasn't much to narrow down from.
"Not personally, no," he said. Aureia studied him intently, as if determined to detect a lie, and he twitched uncomfortably. The Vaporeon had never looked at him in such a way. She usually accepted many of his answers without question, even if she sometimes studied him for a longer period of time. No, this time, she was definitely looking for a clue that he was deceiving her.
"Have you even HEARD the name before?" she asked quietly.
"Um...yes. I think so. I don't know where I heard it, though. But I really don't know anyone personally by that name," he insisted, his eyes darting around anxiously. Aureia seemed about to say something, but she paused, and looked over her shoulder. Blaze followed her gaze, and spotted a lone human figure approaching.
"Oh...of course he'd come down personally," Aureia muttered, and she ignored Blaze's confused look.
"Hey, Aureia. How are you doing tonight?" the human asked, and now that he had drawn nearer, Blaze recognized both his appearance and his voice as that of Aureia's trainer. Adrian, yeah, that was what Aureia always called him. The Eevee still kept a wary eye on the human despite the indirect familiarity.
"Fantastic, until you came by to fetch me," Aureia deadpanned. It was almost astounding the way the water Eeveelution spoke to her trainer. Even when she was in a good mood, she tended to be really sarcastic and disinterested, with the main difference being whether she ignored the human's comments, or responded to them.
"And I see you've got your friend here, too," Adrian commented, smiling at the Eevee. "Hey there, little guy. Keeping Aureia company?"
"Uh..." Blaze wasn't quite sure whether responding was actually necessary, and Aureia never gave him an indication of whether he was supposed to react a certain way. Was an enthusiastic affirmative considered a good reaction or a bad reaction, in her eyes? Overenthusiastic might make her trainer think they got along REALLY well, whereas too downplayed might make it seem like the Vaporeon was being too moody, and risk getting her gently scolded.
"Don't be shy, I'm not going to hassle you," Adrian told the Eevee with a smile. "Good to see you're doing well, though. Getting along, you two?"
"You missed us on the verge of having a fight and breaking up," Aureia deadpanned. She glanced over at the Eevee thoughtfully, and he blinked at her. Without warning, she stepped slightly nearer and draped her large tail around him in a tight loop, practically pulling him into her personal space.
Blaze yelped in surprise, but then purred and began nuzzling against her shoulder. He opened one eye to look up at the Vaporeon, and was amused to see a look of blank shock on her face, not helped by Adrian using his hand to hide a smile. It was even clear that he was bursting to make a teasing remark, but he didn't want to ruin the 'moment'.
"Blaze?" Aureia murmured from the corner of her mouth. "...what the hell?"
"What?" the Eevee asked, resting his head against her side fondly.
"Why didn't you have a panic attack this time?" she asked blandly.
"Oh, was that what you were trying to do?" Blaze asked innocently, his tail wagging. "Last time, I was trying to get OUT of your personal space, but you were stopping me. You just pulled me INTO your personal space, and your tail's tight enough to be an embrace, rather than a trap. I thought you were encouraging me. Wait, were you trying to get me to freak out and attack you, seemingly without provocation, so that your trainer would stop teasing you about us, without you looking like a bully? Hee, that backfired, huh?"
"...yes, it did," Aureia murmured, and she brushed her nose against the Eevee's ear before whispering directly to him. "You can stop, now."
"Should I pretend to fall asleep on you?" Blaze asked, widening his eyes cutely.
"I'm going to push you in the lake, I swear to-" Aureia hissed.
Blaze grinned. "I can't move away, anyway. Your tail's still keeping me close."
There was an awkward pause as Aureia processed the remark, and then she pulled her tail back and unceremoniously pushed the Eevee away from her. Blaze didn't even try to keep his balance, and instead fell to the grass like a ceramic statue, purring contentedly.
"Shut up," Aureia snapped, in response to Adrian's incredibly wide smirk. The human knelt down and murmured something to her, while gently stroking down her back. The Vaporeon blinked, then glanced at Blaze, who had climbed back to his feet. "I'll check," she grumbled to Adrian, before turning to Blaze. "Hey, Blaze, does the thought of never having dry fur again sound awesome?"
"Sure!" Blaze chirped. Aureia glared at him intensely. "That's wasn't the real question, was it?" he asked.
