This was not one of Blaze's better mornings.

It had started off with a hint of promise, but those hopes were long since dashed, and he felt the ever familiar brewing of emotions within his gut. He hated feeling so vulnerable, and hated having to act a certain way to get the approval of those around him.

This was why he hated the clan. That wretched system of having the young, ambitious Eevee queue up and try to catch the eye of their evolved counterparts, just to feel accepted and respected...it always felt so wrong. So phony and deceptive, and overall just a disgusting way to live.

Apologies were always the worst examples of the system at work. When an Eevee acted inappropriately, the leaders would often force them to publicly apologize to those they had wronged, and the apology had to be up to the leader's standards, or else it didn't count. The person who had been wronged had little to no input as to whether the apology was considered sincere or genuine.

Following Adrian's private chat with Avis, the Snivy had come over and delivered an elaborate and overly formal apology to Blaze, but it was immediately obvious to the Eevee that Avis was only apologizing because she was being forced to by her trainer. Even if she genuinely regretted her behavior, she was still going through the motions purely for her trainer's approval, and little more than that.

The grass lizard seemed more smug than apologetic when she smiled at him, and in spite of the anger brewing in his stomach, Blaze forced a smile on his face and nodded in acceptance. It would do him no good to reject the Snivy's gesture, just as it had never done him any good in the past. Those who wronged him would always wrong him again, and complaining about it would only make him look bad, rather than the perpetrator. In the eyes of the clan, he was always worse than those that harassed, abused, and bullied him and Celes. It was viewed as their own fault for making it so easy to provoke them.

All he could do back then was bury that rage inside him. Just as he buried his feelings now, hiding them beneath phony cheerfulness. The sole consolation now was that Avis was making a point to give Blaze significantly more personal space in the wake of her trainer's scolding, and things had settled down more since then.

Ember was occupied with some sort of stretching or exercise routine, and Aureia had finally stopped drawing attention to her displeasure at being awake. Avis remained in the vicinity of the others, but appeared much more interested in what Adrian was up to. The human had extracted a notebook and pen from his traveling bag, and was flipping through the pages of the book.

The peace and quiet was welcome, as it gave Blaze a little more time to gather his thoughts and consider how to approach the present situation. Avis' earlier comments unnerved him almost as much as her blatant invasion of his personal space. From the first day that he had been brought to Adrian's apartment, Avis had acted strangely towards him. She made a point of invading his personal space when speaking to him, and made little gestures to unnerve or unbalance him, usually in line with making physical contact that seemed innocent on the surface, or shifting the tone of her behavior abruptly to make him feel more on-edge or disoriented.

From Blaze's experience, his best guess was that Avis felt threatened by his presence somehow, but he struggled to articulate exactly what it reminded him of. Something like an older sibling shortly after a new kit's hatching. Jealous of attention shifting to the newborn, and intent on maintaining a higher position in the hierarchy. Perhaps her earlier comments were just another extension of this subconscious or irrational desire, except instead of demanding submissiveness from Blaze, she wanted Aureia and Ember to be suspicious or uncomfortable around him.

It hadn't appeared to be an effective tactic, if that was what the Snivy was aiming for. Ember and Aureia had seemed more aggravated at Avis than suspicious of Blaze, but it was a concerning angle to consider, especially for the future.

The Eevee sighed heavily, and leaned against Aureia's side, resting his head near her shoulder. The simple contact was soothing for him, better than even the softest cushion. When he was younger, and the actions of his peers or the clan leaders upset him, he could find solace from his sister. She would seek him out, wherever he had gone to hide from the judging eyes of the clan, and would listen to his rants, and comfort him with little nuzzles and cuddles.

He was older now, and his past buried in the darkest recesses of his mind, but the simple comfort provided by another was undeniable. He craved affection more than food, or even water. It was the greatest relief for sorrow or loneliness, just knowing that someone was there to support you and be in your life. He sometimes wondered if Aureia appreciated his company because he provided similar relief to her unhappy or lonely existence, but her lips were always sealed on the matter.

"Did you sleep okay, Ember?" Aureia asked abruptly, her words spoken softly and with her usual flat tone. Blaze looked up at the Vaporeon in mild surprise, but made no comment. It was rare for her to initiate conversations, at least when the two of them interacted. Ember seemed far less surprised, so maybe it wasn't as unusual as he thought.

"It was okay, I guess," the Charmander answered with a shrug, pivoting her body to stretch her back muscles, but then winced, pausing to massage her shoulder muscles with one paw. "Ugh...I take it back. The chair wasn't nearly as comfortable as I'd have liked."

"Least that one had a cushion this time," Aureia pointed out, the ghost of a smile gracing her muzzle. Blaze's ears perked up, and he looked over at the fire lizard curiously.

"Why do you sleep on chairs?" he wondered.

"It's an isolated, elevated surface," Ember answered, rotating her shoulder before continuing to massage the muscles there. Blaze squinted in confusion. From what he had seen during that first night in Adrian's apartment, Ember slept in one of the side rooms, curled up in a padded basket of some sort that she had repurposed into a 'nest', to use Aureia's words. With that context, he didn't understand why she had chosen one of the hotel room chairs instead of the softer bed, or the more spacious floor.

"I don't follow," he said finally. "Why does that matter?"

Ember snorted, but she didn't seem bothered by the direction the conversation was taking. She straightened up and faced Blaze directly before answering, "I don't know why it matters, it just does. I can't relax if there's anyone else in my sleeping space, and I hate being on ground level. I don't have to be at the highest point of my surroundings, but I need to be higher than most of them."

"Oh!" Blaze practically squealed, sudden understanding striking him like lightning. "So it's a personal sleeping preference? Sort of like how some people sleep better on their stomach, or on their side, or need a certain light level?"

"Something like that, I guess," Ember responded with another shrug, now flexing her claws. Her blue eyes flicked in the Eevee's direction. "Do you have preferences like that?" she wondered.

"Erm...I like to cuddle?" Blaze answered, smiling sheepishly at the Charmander. Even without looking up, he could tell that Aureia was rolling her eyes, just because of the subtle shift of her weight as he continued to lean against her. "I don't really know how to explain it. I just feel safe and relaxed. I'm similarly happy with just being near someone I trust. It's...soothing."

"Hm, I suppose that's fair enough," Ember murmured, almost too softly to even be heard, and she gazed at her claws, flexing them absently. "I can at least relate to the comfort of trusted affection, but it can only be platonic, at least for me."

"That's fair," Blaze agreed, his tail wagging a little bit. "Honestly, I prefer it that way myself. You can't really mix comforting someone with flirting. It sends a mixed message, and just feels dishonest, you know?"

"So how do you define the way you act towards me?" Aureia interjected blandly. "You compliment and nuzzle me more often than not."

"That's usually me flirting," Blaze admitted.

"No one ever did answer me what the difference is between flirting and coming onto someone," Ember mused. "Other than Avis citing 'intent' as the main factor."

"Uh..." Blaze fidgeted awkwardly. He wasn't sure if he was even expected to provide an answer to that comment, but the fact Ember had brought it up again suggested that it was something she genuinely wondered about on a relatively frequent basis. "Intent...probably sums it up the best," he admitted.

"Yeah, but how do I judge intent in real time?" Ember asked, her tone noticeably annoyed by the ambiguity of the Eevee's response. She snorted, expelling a wisp of smoke from her nostrils. "Because I personally would think nuzzling falls under the latter category."

"Well, that's more a matter of personal boundaries and familiarity," Blaze protested, his cheeks flushing. Aureia cleared her throat quietly, and the Eevee instinctively stepped away from her, thinking it was her signal that he was overstaying his welcome in her personal space.

"Ember, why is this subject so important to you?" the Vaporeon wondered. A shadow passed over Ember's face, and she clenched one of her paws into a tight fist.

"Because I want to know the difference," she responded crisply, and Blaze noticed that her tail flame had flared up slightly. "I want to know if a male is making a pass at me, or just being friendly. I want to know how I should express interest if someone ever catches my eye, without overcompensating and giving the wrong impression. Who am I supposed to get this type of information from?!"

Aureia's body tensed noticeably, but she otherwise remained passive, merely observing Ember's mild outburst with a hint of concern. Blaze twitched, disquieted by the sudden shift in the fire lizard's demeanor. Ember growled softly, breaking eye contact and glaring at her claws instead.

"Avis knows next to nothing, and you didn't have to do anything special to catch someone's eye," Ember murmured. "Sorin didn't win anyone over, so what resource is left for me? Am I supposed to follow her example?!"

Blaze blinked. The Charmander had placed the most peculiar and venomous emphasis on the pronoun, yet Aureia seemed to understand its meaning without issue, because she looked deeply pained.

"Ember...it's not..." the Water-type paused, clearly unsure how to phrase her argument without further upsetting the Charmander, but before she could form another word, the aggression was sapped from Ember's stance, so rapidly that Blaze nearly got whiplash.

"Not a race. I know," she murmured quietly, in a resigned tone that nearly made Blaze's heart ache. "But in the end, I'm nothing but an extension of her. An ember yet to be fanned into a real flame, but wait too long and it'll burn out."

"Ember, you're barely two years older than me," Aureia deadpanned. "There is no way your biological clock is ticking already. Also, you're part-dragon, so you'll probably outlive us all. Take a breath and slow down. If you have the mindset that you need to rush into a relationship, then you're probably not ready for one. I'm not exactly throwing myself at Blaze right now."

"And I'd appreciate if you kept it that way," Blaze chimed in. "I like you, but I don't want to rush, either."

"Hey, everything okay over here?" Adrian asked, walking over to the three of them, his attention primarily on Ember. She avoided his eyes guiltily, but he seemed to already know how she was feeling, because he sat down on the grass beside her, speaking softly and stroking her back soothingly. Seeing this as a cue for them to look somewhere else, Blaze turned towards Aureia.

"Is she okay?" he wondered, jerking his head subtly towards the fire lizard. Aureia was silent for several moments, long enough for Blaze to question whether the Vaporeon had even heard him, or if she was ignoring him. Aureia finally sighed and looked over at him, her eyes betraying a hint of sadness that otherwise rarely manifested.

"Every so often, she gets in one of these moods," the Vaporeon murmured, speaking barely above a whisper. "All things considering, this one was rather tame, and Adrian's already taking care of it, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Okay," Blaze sighed, studying the grass beneath his paws, and only glanced up again when movement caught his eye. Adrian seemed to have gotten the situation under control, as Ember seemed to have calmed down again. However, Adrian still called Ember back inside her Pokeball, and made his way back towards the bench. "Was it something I said or did that set her off, though?"

Aureia squinted at the Eevee in genuine confusion. "No, not really," she shrugged. "Like I said, she gets in these sort of moods sometimes. It's hard to predict what will trigger her reactions."

Blaze fidgeted uncomfortably. "But...she was asking about flirting and such, and I just...don't think I was giving her good answers. And she said you didn't have to do anything to get a male's attention, so I was just thinking that...you know..."

Aureia snorted. "That she's jealous of your attention? Doubtful. You're not her type."

"That's not fair," Avis interjected with a giggle, her sudden approach causing Blaze to flinch. "I wouldn't label him as your type either, but here we are."

"What would you label as my type?" Aureia deadpanned. Avis seemed to consider the question seriously for several seconds.

"Empathetic, cute, kind of a pushover, but willing to take charge and lead conversations and...oh wow, he probably is your type," Avis mused, her eyes widening in genuine surprise.

"You been working on my dating profile for a while, Avis?" Aureia asked sarcastically.

"Nope, just came up with it now," the Snivy chirped. "Want me to try Blaze next?"

"Money's on a verbatim description of me," Aureia muttered from the side of her mouth. Blaze grinned, in spite of himself, and Avis seemed to take that as an affirmative, because she squinted at Blaze for a few seconds, noticeably keeping her distance.

"Patient, soft-spoken, more dominant, but not oppressive. Affectionate...maybe a bit adventurous and playful," Avis mused, tapping her chin with a paw, then looking over at Aureia. "...I dunno, that COULD match you, if you warmed up a bit. Or downed a couple Sitrus berries," she added with a giggle.

"How do you even come up with these?" Blaze wondered. He had never before even considered the ideal qualities of a prospective soul-mate, so he wasn't sure if Avis' ideas were even close to his own vision, but he couldn't immediately say any of her descriptions were wrong, either.

"It's in your eyes," Avis said simply.

Further discussion was interrupted by Adrian's phone buzzing to life, the sudden sound drawing their gaze. The young man answered by the second ring, and immediately rose to his feet, gesturing for them to follow him as he headed back towards the Amity Square gate.

"Hey! Marcus, little man, you finally awake?" Adrian asked.

Avis darted after him, springing off the ground and catching onto his travel bag before scaling up to her perch on their trainer's shoulders. Aureia rolled her eyes, but trudged after them, Blaze practically jogging to keep up.

"Yeah, man, I've been up for hours now. Aureia's been irritable about that all morning, let me tell you that," Adrian chuckled, still speaking into his phone. "I thought being a trainer was supposed to teach you the value of starting your day early. Uh-huh...yeah, okay. So, where do you want to meet up?"

"Does he ALWAYS give updates on my mood?" Aureia wondered aloud to no one in particular.