12:Photograph
They had been situated in his room for going on roughly an hour now, silence wearing down slightly on their shoulders; he did his best to ignore it, but it was ultimately difficult to not be painfully aware of the quiet feel that settled within his assigned room since he was not sure how to combat it. They were friends, but they weren't super close to begin with- at least not to the degree of the relationship between him and his partner Falco Lombardi.
He had offered, at the onset of the tag-team tournament which him and Pikachu has been randomly drawn as partners for, that they took some time to research competition to the best of their abilities. The technology within the Smash mansion was relatively advanced, giving them access to a database with details regarding each member of the mansion. It was a resource that was scarcely used until the tournament season began, and then it becomes a highly trafficked site. Fox strongly pushed for watching some of the previously recorded matches of their upcoming opponents, Ike and Palutena, which lead them to their current situation.
Fox had attempted several times previously to initiate conversation with his partner who was planted on the bed behind him, but every response prompted from the blonde was a mere hum or generic reply that ended each probe as quickly as it had begun. She shuffled nosily through the documents that they had rented out from the library within the mansion detailing each previously-had tournament, Fox trying hard to not focus on her because she looked bored and tired and he had a hunch that she would rather be off somewhere training.
His ears perked up at the sigh behind him, resisting the urge within himself to let out a similar noise. Peering slightly over his shoulder, he saw her running her hands through her hair, eyes clouded over in thought. Or distress. Fox wasn't sure which was the dominant emotion for her.
Pikachu's eyes flickered up quickly, meeting his, resulting in a subtle raise of her eyebrows.
"Something wrong?"
Fox snorted to himself, shaking his head. "I could ask you the same thing."
She breathed out quickly, brushing the loose papers together before flopping lazily onto the bed. "Sorry, I'm trying my best. This just isn't the most stimulating activity."
He chuckled under his breath before responding. "It's alright. I can't help but be sort of bored too."
"Yeah…" she replied, her voice trailing off.
Once more, the room was blanketed by a quiet as Fox returned his attention to the monitor in front of him, his back facing the blonde who was absentmindedly looking around the room for something to focus on.
The reflection of light off of the glass surface drew her attention to the picture frame situated on the side table by the bed. Leaning forward slightly, she was able to make out the main figure of the photo; he bore resemblance to Fox himself, causing her to glance at the vulpine in question before looking back at the photo. She quickly deduced that it was not Fox himself since the subject of the photo had a somewhat darker coat of fur than Fox. His eyes were shielded by sunglasses, leading her to believe that he was too a pilot.
She reached out slowly, her fingers wrapping around the picture frame as she pulled it towards herself as she inspected it more closely. The nagging thought resting in the forefront of her mind had her wondering the identity of the subject of the photograph, her eyes landing on the back of the other occupant of the room.
"Who is this?" Her voice broke the silence, albeit shakily and uncertain given that her and Fox McCloud weren't the closest.
Fox turned in his chair to face Pikachu, his focus traveling from her face to the object in her hands. The expression on his face softened, and he smiled, but to her it seemed almost wistful.
"That's my dad."
Lips parting slightly, Pikachu's eyes floated back and forth between the two vulpines, confirming the relation that Fox spoke of. She couldn't help but smile sadly at the picture, the lack of her own family and memories of popping up in her thoughts.
"He must be proud of you," she spoke softly.
The Starfox leader heaved a sigh as he made his way to the bed, sitting next to the blonde. He took the frame from her hands, cradling it between his own. His brow furrowed, and Pikachu felt regret pang in her chest from what she said.
"I would hope so," he replied, raising his head and staring off into the distance at nothing in particular.
Pikachu felt the corners of her mouth fall. Suddenly, it clicked.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, searching his face for a definable expression.
He turned to face her, a small smile gracing his lips. "He was a good dad," Fox began, looking down at the item he held. "He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps."
Pikachu rose an eyebrow. "He was a pilot too?"
Fox nodded. "Starfox was originally his team before I took over when he disappeared."
Pikachu felt her interest peaked; partially for the history of Fox since she didn't know much about him at all, but also for hearing about someone who can relate to the feelings of loneliness and confusion she possesses for being unable to remember her family.
She lifted herself up on the bed, crossing her legs and letting her hands fall into her lap. She cautiously reached over, plucking the frame from Fox's hands, inspecting the figure more closely.
"Tell me about him?"
She peeked her eyes up at the pilot in front of her, his blank expression melting in a gentle smile.
"Sure."
