I was supposed to have a whole other section tacked onto this, but that would have made this chapter like 4k words, and I'M JUST REALLY TRYING TO KEEP THEM SHORT AND SWEET. Sometimes I get just typing and then before you know it boom 1.5k words (which is the length to which I've been trying to limit myself)

So here you go. Not a filler chapter, but definitely nothing mind-blowing.

Arc I, The Plate of Space

Chapter Fifteen:

Josephine

The Wingulls crying above me, I stood on the dock with some of Aurelio's bags in hand, surrounded by water and the cool breath of the sea. I stared up at the ship, shielding my eyes from the sun.

"This ship came from Slateport City in the east," said Aurelio, approaching me. He held two tickets in his hand. I almost laughed at the huge hat that he was wearing. He looked like he was about to go swinging a sword around in the rainforest. "They have an impressive dock with dozens of ships like this. But Devon has their own that they keep stationed there just for projects like this." His expression flattened. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't piss me off that Grimmwolfe gets it."

"And it's taking us straight to our destination?" I asked.

"There are no planned stops, so full steam ahead," said Aurelio. "This ship moves much faster than you would think. Travelling by ourselves would probably take us three days. That doesn't include unforeseen weather complications, needing to stop for food or rest, and vice versa. By this ship, we don't have to worry about any of those things, and the travel time — hmm, a day and a half."

"Good," I said, relieved.

Aurelio smiled at me. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll get your Plate, and all will be fine."

Neither of us dared to bring up what had transpired with the fortune teller, Rosemary, only about an hour ago. Her reading was so recent and fresh in my mind, but it felt as if it had happened last month. We had left her store without another word. I hoped that I would never see her again. It was unlikely I would, but I would always have her psychic reading to carry along with me.

There were two patterns I contemplated the most: the friar for sacrifice, and the empty hourglass for death. I could never imagine willingly relinquishing the Alterstone. Even if I held myself to that resolution, what situation could I possibly encounter during which I would even feel the need to? Images of the cloak passed through the forefront of my mind.

Grimmwolfe.

And the empty hourglass. I, the only immortal being in the universe, could not die by mortal standards. Even if Grimmwolfe came at me with a knife and impaled me through the heart, I would stand and live. But...if by some impossible means, he and the Antebureau unearthed the secrets I had locked away in the recesses of my mind...

I had to believe that those two readings were independent of one another.

I had to believe that I would not give up the Alterstone, and that I would not die because of my own foolishness.

Most importantly, I had to believe in myself like Aurelio did.

As we approached the ship, I found that my eyes were constantly sidling over, always checking to see if he was there. I had not spent a moment apart from him since we met only days before. I knew that, no matter how soon I returned to the immortal dimension, I would still need his presence. He provided me more council and comfort than my stupid legendaries ever did.

"Say, Aurelio," I began, willing him to be closer to me. "When I finally have my Plate again—"

"Aureli-ooooooo!"

We stopped just before ascending the ramp onto the ship and turned around. There was a small girl bounding towards us. She was nearly half my height, and her petite face was characterized by a small nose and huge, glimmering blue eyes. Her hair, short and brown, bounced on her shoulders as she ran with her hands waving in the air. Her duffel bags, which looked heavy enough to anchor her to the ground, seemed to provide no resistance.

I glanced over at Aurelio, who had been stunned into silence. "Josephine," he whispered. When she reached us, he came to his senses and smiled wider than I had ever seen. "Josie! What…what on earth are you doing here?"

She quickly embraced him, and he hugged her in return. "The Crystown's library — you know, in that town at the foot of the mountain — suddenly lost their only librarian to the flu. So they called up different libraries throughout Hoenn and I was the first who offered to substitute until she gets better! Mr. Stone even said that I could take the ship there so I wouldn't have to find other transportation. I came from Mauville this morning. But, better question, what are you doing here?"

"I'm on the Crystal Tower's project," he said. There was a glint in his eye that I could not decipher.

"Oh, that must mean Arceus is involved," said Josie, nodding.

"You know me."

"Better than anyone, I've always said!" Josie seemed to notice my presence for the first time. She shook my hand, grinning. "Hi, I'm Josephine, Aurelio's friend from forever ago. You can call me Josie. My real name makes me sound like I'm an old lady. Are you also on the Crystal Towers project?"

I was exhausted by her seemingly neverending stamina. "I'm Thea. And yes, I suppose I am."

"You must also like Arceus to a degree," said Josie. "If you didn't, there's not a chance that you could stand to be around Aurelio or his family for more than five minutes. Oh man, I remember when we were kids, he used to want to pretend-play Pokémon, and he would always choose to be Arceus. He'd boss me around and tell me that I would get in trouble if I said no because he was the alpha and—"

"Josie," said Aurelio, his face red.

Josie acknowledged him with a rude gesture. "Anyway, Thea," she continued. "If you ever want to hear embarrassing stories about him, I'm your girl. You know, speaking of Arceus, I heard something funny while passing through Devon to get something from Mr. Stone. It's information that I think even you would find interesting. Bet you can't guess what it is."

Aurelio half-smiled. He also looked worn out. "Even if I did guess correctly, you wouldn't tell me."

"Correct-o," said Josie. "Us three should meet for coffee later tonight. It's serious table talk. You're going to want to bring your notes."

"It's about Arceus?" I asked.

"Oh, is it about Arceus!" she exclaimed. The ship's horn blew into the sky, sending the Wingulls and Pelippers scattering. The echoes of the noise left vibrations that rattled my nerves. "Aurelio's family is going to want to adopt me into the family after I disclose this information. This is all stuff I overheard. Stuff I probably shouldn't have picked up. But I'll tell you all of it later, I promise. For now, I've got to check in. I have to head to the computer labs and video call the library."

The longer she talked, the more disconcerted we felt.

"Aurelio," I said quietly, "do you think that —?"

"We'll meet for coffee," he said over me. He inconspicuously squeezed my wrist, as he had done by subconscious habit since this morning, silently communicating to me exactly what I needed to hear. "I'd love to hear what you've got to say."

Josie smiled. Her eyes were soft where they touched her cheeks. "I'm so glad to see you, Aurelio," she said, her voice supple and wavering. "It's been years. I badly wanted to send you letters, but your number changes with each phone you break and I never know where you are in the world. It's almost like fate, meeting here at this ship!" Then she faced me, looking up at me like a child would to her mother. "Thea, I can't wait to learn more about you. I'll see you two later!"

She bounced away, bags flopping heavily at her waist.

Aurelio watched her go with an expression I couldn't read. After she disappeared from sight, he turned towards me, all of the wistfulness having left his eyes, and promptly got to business. "She overheard something at Devon," he said. "Something she thinks even I would find interesting."

"Perhaps it's something trivial," I suggested. "Something about my apparent 'sighting' or —"

"Josie looks ditzy, but she's not an idiot," said Aurelio. "She grew up around my family. She can tell the difference between information I would already know and information that would rock my world. By her urgency, I know that it's the latter."

I nodded. My attention wandered towards the ship, where I saw Grimmwolfe standing on the deck, leaning over the railing and watching the dock below. We met eyes. He smiled and waved, and I halfheartedly waved back, feeling sick. The skin that met my Alterstone was beginning to sweat underneath the scarf that I fastidiously kept tied.

"You don't think she overheard something from Grimmwolfe, do you?" I asked.

"Most likely," Aurelio replied. He was also waving at the ship. "Father always said the Antebureau's never been good about keeping their mouths shut."

End of Chapter Fifteen