Carmen placed her guitar in the case before placing the sheet music on top of it and securing the case on her back while standing up. "Hmmm," she bit her lip as she thought. "I honestly don't know what there is to do. I guess we could just go get some food," she looked up at Haydo. "I don't know, is there anything you want to do? You're in charge of the money," she smirked.
At the notion of food, his stomach growled. Arceus hadn't realized he had worked up quite the appetite, or an appetite at all for that matter. It was very rare that he actually got hungry, mostly from not really needing food in the first place. "Yeah, food sounds good right about now." Arceus pointed down the street. "I think we passed a restaurant on the way here. Want to go check it out?"
Carmen smiled. "Yeah, let's go," the young woman seemed to be up for anything, jumping on any moment that was a new experience. She had eaten in a restaurant before, but had she eaten in that exact one? Of course not! Making it a new adventure. "So, what exactly is your family like?" she asked as they walked.
"Oh, um..." Arceus tried to think of a way to phrase this that didn't sound suspicious. "We're a weird bunch, really. There's about sixty or so of us now... and not everyone gets along. I, being the oldest, am designated peace keeper. It seems to be my cousin's job in life to disturb that peace, though, so my job is never done." Arceus smiled, thinking of Mew and her crazy antics. "She's a good person, though. Always looking out for the younger ones." Arceus turned to Carmen. "What about you? What's your family like?"
"Sixty of you?" Carmen sounded amazed, her family was basically nonexistent compared to that. "Oh, gosh, my family," she made a face and chuckled a little awkwardly. "Um, my mom was an only child, my dad only had his brother. I don't have any cousins, I'm an only child, my grandparents died when I was young. My mom died a couple months ago.. I have seen Uncle Xander since he gave me Haydo's egg..." the words sort of tumbled out of Carmen's mouth before she thought about them. "It was dad and me for a little bit, but I just couldn't stick around for very long after mom passed, you know," she looked up at him with a small, almost sad smile. "That's all there really is about my family," her gaze dropped away from his though, as if she didn't want him to see the twinkle of the lie that showed up.
Arceus nodded. "That's understandable. You know, sometimes I wish I had a small family like yours. Sometimes it feels like my family isn't even a family, just a group of strangers trying to get along." Like a certain other place, he realized. "But maybe that's all a family really is, you know?" They arrived at the restaurant quickly, and Arceus held the door open for Carmen to walk in.
"I don't know... I guess small families have their perks, but at the same time, so do large families. You always have someone whose got your back, no matter what, right?" she looked up at him again. "Oh thanks," she entered the restaurant, holding up two fingers to the waitress before the woman showed them to their seats. "In small families it's tough, because if you don't like someone you can't get away from them, but in large families, I've never really heard about people not being able to get away in some form or another, " she carried on the conversation as if there hadn't been a pause.
"Yes, I see what you mean. But I don't feel like I know everyone, and that really bothers me. I like knowing who I'm related to, and I feel like if only my family were smaller, I'd be able to know them all." Arceus explained, browsing through the menu. It contained a wide array of pasta and fish Pokémon, anything from magikarp over alfredo noodles to feebas filet with a side of rigatoni and vegetables. There was also vegetarian and vegan options for those against eating Pokémon.
"Okay, I see your point," Carmen said. "But then again, do you really make the effort to know everyone? Because I feel like if you really made an effort you would know every single person in your family pretty easily," she scanned the menu at all. It was obvious the girl didn't really have a filter, if she wanted to say something, she was going to say it, whether or not it was insulting. The girl never tried to be insulting though, and if she managed to be she would always hop to apologize. Carmen only browsed over the vegetarian part of the menu, she didn't agree with eating Pokémon, it seemed so wrong to do so.
"Most of them don't like talking to me, and often avoid having conversations with me." Arceus sighed. When the waiter came by, he ordered a salad. "But I get what you're saying, and-" he froze, looking towards the back of the restaurant. "They have a piano."
"They don't like to talk to you?" Carmen asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you like... the goody-two-shoes of the group or the black sheep?" The girl ordered a salad as well before looking over her shoulder at the instrument. "Awesome! Maybe they'll let you play it," she smiled at him before looking around for a waitress or waiter to ask.
Arceus grimaced. "I was neither. I guess they just felt like there was never a reason to talk to me." he looked around for a waiter, before deciding to just go for it. He sat on the bench, pushing up the cover on the keys and letting his fingers rest on the white keys, before starting up a slow, heartfelt song.
Carmen watched him stand and walk to the piano. When he started to play she smiled softly, closing her eyes as she was completely taken into the music, her. She just listened, hearing the passion flow through his fingers and into the instrument, they seemed almost one in the same. She was more than impressed.
Arceus smiled, watching the room become smitten with the music flowing out of the piano, music he was making. Conversations died down, heads turned. Now that he had their attention, he decided to play something upbeat and simple, favoring something of a polka feel, perhaps something from a carousel.
Carmen opened her eyes at the change of the song, a smile dancing on her lips once more. It was amazing how he had changed songs so easily. She pulled a few dollars from her pocket and stood, walking over and placing it on the piano before going back to sit down, just as she had thought, the small action had brought others to follow her lead.
Arceus was surprised as others started tipping him for playing. He didn't stop the song, however, taking many repeats. After a bit, he changed to a more classical piece, the song ending just before their salads came out. Arceus gathered the money on the piano and returned to the table. "Well, that was fun..."
"That amazing!" Carmenexclaimed. "I can't believe you're that amazing! You're going to have to teach me some things," she begged, grabbing his hand. "Please, please, please," she continued.
"Okay, on one condition, though. You have to teach me how to play guitar!" Arceus responded, enthusiastic to be teaching someone piano. It truly was a beautiful instrument, as was guitar.
"Deal!" Carmen said. The girl already knew a little bit about piano but Arceus was on a completely different level than she was. "We'll teach each other," she grinned before sitting back in her seat. "We're going to make a great team," she couldn't stop smiling until she took a bite of her salad.
Haydo giggled. "Learning piano from God, she's not nearly as excited as she should be," the Fletchling chirped up. She hopped off of the girl's head and started to peck at bits of the salad.
Arceus watched Haydo with a chuckle. "Indeed," he responded, to both of them at the same time. He then took a bite of his salad, and was immediately taken by the rush of flavors. It had been too long since he last had a meal. He finished the rest of the salad in silence, savoring every bite.
Carmen grinned."So, where did you learn to play like that?" she asked him. She was still so intrigued by this man. He was so strange... and yet... not strange at all. She wanted to know everything about him and yet somehow felt that he wasn't going to tell her next to anything. He must have been similar to her in a way.
"A long time ago," he set his fork down on the plate, pushing the empty plate to the edge of the table. "Back when I was just a little boy," back when the piano was invented, and being able to play it was all the rage. "I haven't played much recently, so I wasn't expecting to sound that good, in all honesty. What about you? Who taught you to play the guitar?"
Carmen nodded in understanding. "Oh, um, I actually taught myself. I learned from ear, listening to other musicians," she shrugged. "It took me a long time to actually get good enough to write my own stuff. I have only been writing for about two years, but I've had ol' Xander for roughly six years," she said, patting her guitar case.
"Six years, self taught. That's actually kind of impressive. I sure wouldn't be able to play today if someone hadn't sat me down at a piano one day and told me both how to read music and how to play it." Arceus leaned his head on his hand, intrigued.
"Music is my life, Mason, it was either learn it or sit in my room blasting it to cover up what was going on around me. Music got me out of the house, music... made me happy," she smiled at him. "I honestly don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't figured it out," she sighed, pushing her plate aside as well. "Sorry, I sound sort of depressing," she chuckled. "I have a tendency to do that,"
"No, it's fine. I really don't mind at all." Arceus smiled in return. "I think you're a wonderful, special person, and it's great you found your passion." He paid the bill, getting up to go. "Anything else you would like to do? There's the contest hall, the poffin house..."
Carmen blushed slightly. "Oh... well thank you," she smiled softly at him. "What's the contest hall? Wait.. isn't that where they like dress up Pokémon and make them perform?" she shook her head. "No, not there. The poffin house sounds great though! I've never tried one and I know for a fact that Haydo would love it,"
Haydo chirped as if in agreement, her wings fluttering as she flew up to Arceus's head. "The poffin house, the poffin house!"
"Poffin house it is, then. But I'm pretty sure the poffins are for Pokémon only, but I don't think there's any harm in trying one," he led the way outside and down the street, towards the poffin house. "Do you have any berries on you, by chance?"
"Yeah, I have a few," Carmen nodded. "Yeah, I try to keep as many on me as a can," she reached inside her thin jacket and pulled out a small bag. "I hope none of them got crushed..." she muttered, looking at the bag with a furrowed eyebrow. "Have you ever tried a poffin?" she asked, looking at him.
"No, I've never had a poffin," Arceus responded. For once, he was telling the full truth. In all honesty, he was looking forward to trying one. "I wonder what they taste like... I bet they're like cookies... Oh, so we don't need to stop at the store. Making poffins takes a berry, so we're going to need at least three."
Carmen nodded. "Well all right then," she looked inside the bag. "Perfect, I have five so maybe we could make extras just for Haydo to eat later," Carmen said.
Haydo nodded. "Yeah! Poffins!" the Pokémon had never really had one but she imagined they tasted like sugar coated clouds.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I was thinking about heading towards the eastern coast after a night in Hearthome. Where are you headed afterwards?" they rounded a corner, the poffin house just down the street.
"Um..." Carmen bit her lip. "I have no idea, honestly. When I left the house I ran in a random direction, I've been doing that ever since, so I guess I'm just going to go with the flow, follow where ever the wind takes me," she looked up at him. "I've never even really seen picture of the eastern coast, it sounds fun though," she admitted.
"Yeah, same. I heard Canalave gas some nice beaches... say, would you like to travel with me?" Mentally Arceus scolded himself. What was he thinking, traveling with a human? He hadn't even planned on staying down here longer than a day: there were things he needed to attend to that humans would have no patience for. He really shouldn't have invited her, but there was something about her that kept pulling him back in.
"Beaches?" The girl's face lit up like a child on Azure Day. "Oh, um... Are you sure? I mean, I would love to, don't get me wrong, I've never had an actual human friend before huh, Haydo?" the girl grinned up at the Pokémon.
Haydo shook her head. "Nope, people liked you but you liked me better," she chirped, pressing her beak to the girl's head.
Arceus smiled fondly. "Yeah, it's fine." Internally, he was screaming over how this was a bad idea and how he shouldn't be leading her on to thinking he's human. He got distracted, however, when they arrived at the poffin house. "Here we are!"
Carmen nodded. "All right, then... Yeah, we'll tag along," she smiled and looked up at the building they were standing in front of. "Yes! Come on," she excitedly opened the door, grabbed his hand and walked in, keeping hold of his hand even after they entered. It was just who Carmen was, she sort of enjoyed physical contact, it made it that much easier to figure out how people worked.
Arceus blushed slightly when she grabbed his hand, then mentally slapped himself. They were greeted by a cheery lady who explained how to stir berries into poffins. They were then directed to a machine that looked like a crock pot and given spoons to stir with.
Carmen looked up and noticed the blush, dropping his hand right away, the last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable. "It's like making a cake," Carmen said as she added a berry and started to stir.
"I want to stir, I want to stir!" Haydo said and landed on Carmen's hand. "Wee, wee!" She giggled.
"A cake, huh?" Arceus watched carefully, not used to making food the long way. "Can't say I haven't done that before... Though not the traditional way..." he mumbled the last bit under his breath, not intending anyone to hear it.
Carmen continued to stir before looking up at him. "Traditional way?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not sure what the traditional or nontraditional ways of cake making are," she admitted, stirring until the poffin was done. She added another berry and waiting for him to start stirring.
Arceus froze. She was not supposed to hear that, but he guess he spoke too loudly. "Um... my family makes a huge project out of it. It's made in large batches, like cookies, instead of one cake." He was flat out lying, and hope that didn't convey in his face.
Carmen didn't even look up when he talked, she was too busy trying not to spill the poffin mix over. "That sounds amazing," Carmen grinned, looking up at him for the first time in a bit. "I totally want to join you guys some day if I could, ever...if that isn't weird... it's weird isn't it? Never mind," the girl dropped her gaze from him and back to the poffin mix sheepishly.
"No, it's okay. We only make cakes on Azure day, though..." he smiled to Carmen, then looked back down to the poffin maker. "Do you think the poffins done yet?"
Carmen nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Um, yeah, I think so," she said, fishing the poffin from the maker. "Here, want to try it?" she asked, placing it in front of him.
Arceus looked over the poffin cautiously, before taking half and popping it into his mouth. "Oh my gufnesh, diff ifff the beft poffin ever!" he remarked around the food in his mouth, offering the other half to Carmen. "Here, you try."
Carmen chuckled, grinning. "I guess I have a knack for making them!" she took a bite of the poffin. It was strange, definitely made for Pokémon. "But I don't think I have a taste for them," she said, swallowing. "Blah," she shook her head. "Oh well," she giggled.
Haydo hopped over to peck at the remaining parts of the poffin in Carmen's hand. "It's so good! Why doesn't she like it?" she asked looking up at Arceus.
Arceus shrugged. "Yeah, probably made for Pokémon. I guess I'm just weird or something. Hey, what other berries do you have? I want to try a sour one next."
Carmen chuckled. "You are weird. I like it," she checked her bag, pulling a sitrus berry from it. "Ah-ha! Got one," she grinned and popped it into the mix. "Do you want to stir it or should I?" she asked.
"I'll give it a try," Arceus stirred the batter, feeling it harden as he stirred faster. He exclaimed in surprise when the batter spilled out, nearly splashing all over his white pants. "That would have been unfortunate..."
Carmen flinched her hand away as a bit of steaming batter splashed over on it. "Yeah, totally," she said, brushing it off and putting the slightly burned flesh to her lips.
"Oh, sorry, did I burn you?" Arceus looked up from the batter, concerned, slowing down so he wouldn't splash out anymore. "Go run the burn under cold water, that should help." He would heal her hand, but that would be a dead giveaway. He felt bad about causing her pain and not being able to fix it; if only there weren't so many other trainers in the poffin house, maybe he could just explain to her why he had to lie... she seemed like a nice girl, not one intent on catching all Pokémon.
"No, Mason, it's fine," she said, putting her hand on the table. "You're really enthusiastic about stirring though," she chuckled. She looked around the room nodding to the other people who looked back at her. "There are so many people in this city... I can't decide what I like better; out in the woods with Pokémon or in large cities with people," she looked down at Haydo. "What do you like better?"
"The forest," she chirped as if the question was stupid. "It has fresher air,"
"I prefer anywhere I'm not alone," Arceus hummed, finishing the poffin and taking it out, breaking off a chunk for Haydo. This one was a bit burnt and looked lumpy, like it had been rushed, which it probably had. It also had more bland taste to it, making the sour taste have less impact. "I liked it when you cooked..." Arceus made a face, but finished the poffin. "I also think I like the sweet ones better... it that's not too much trouble."
Carmen chuckled and shook her head. "All right, I'll make you one more," she told him, plopping another berry into the mix and stirring it. "How do you mess these up?" She asked, amused. He was so... adorable, she couldn't stop smiling at him.
Arceus smiled sheepishly, rubbing his arm. "Well, um... first you have to be able to burn water..." he chuckled at the joke. "But in all seriousness, the only food I've been able to do is simple things, like sandwiches, and cake..."
Carmen chuckled as well. "I've never been able to do anything like that. I guess I'm just naturally an amazing cook," she said, flipping her bangs from her eyes. "Well, I can't wait until I can try one of your sandwiches or one of your families cakes," she smiled. She fished out the sweet poffin and placed it in front of him. "I should totally buy a poffin maker," she decided.
"Yes, definitely," Arceus went to grab the poffin, but it was taken from him by a fast, brown shape. "Hey!" He looked to the door, where he saw the Pokémon escape to. "You took my poffin!" he went chasing after it.
Carmen pushed herself to her feet, grabbing her guitar and slinging it over her shoulder as she ran after Mason. "What was that? It moved so fast I couldn't see it," she called after him.
Haydo flew off as well, she was ahead of Arceus and doing her best to catch up with the other Pokémon.
The Eevee rounded a corner, down the alley behind the poffin shop, hoping to shake the Fletchling off her tail. She was horrified, however, when that man rounded the corner as well. So that presence she had sensed early had really been him after all. She turned quickly, running up to a startled Arceus and presented him with the poffin, shaking in fear and bowing her head.
Arceus looked confused at the Eevee... when he noticed a raggedy collar around her neck. He took the poffin back and went to give her a pat on the head, but she flinched back instead. "Please... Don't hurt me..." she whimpered.
"What makes you think I was going to hurt you?" he responded.
"Because I took your poffin, milord..." her voice trailed off when he returned the poffin.
"You don't look like you have a trainer anymore... Are you hungry?"
The Eevee responded with a nod, eating the poffin ravenously.
Carmen was panting when she rounded the corner, resting her hands on her knees. "Did you get it?" she asked, walking over to Mason and seeing the Eevee. "Awe, it's so cute," she said, leaning down, resting her hand on Mason's shoulder as she looked over the Eevee. "It looks like it has a trainer... or had," she noticed the wearing on the collar. "Poor thing..."
Haydo looked at the Eevee. "What's your name?" she asked, watching the Eevee.
"Nova... My name is Nova..." the Eevee responded. She let out a startled yelp when Arceus picked her up.
"I think I'll take care of her. Would you like that, Nova?" Arceus asked, and Nova responded with an excited nod. "Great! I'll just..." he went to remove the collar, but she struggled away.
"No... I want to keep the collar..."
"Okay, okay." He let her climb up to sit on his shoulder.
Carmen smiled up at him as she stood. "That's so sweet of you," she said. "Um, we should find food for the Pokémon and then get a room," she decided looking up as Haydo fluttered onto her head. "And I am feeling popcorn, probably, some candy..." she paused. "I'm totally getting candy," she reached her hand into his pocket to grab a handful of cash. "Come on, I'm sure your new friend could use food," she stated, walking from the alley way.
"Perhaps we could afford some real Pokémon food instead..." Arceus startled a bit when she just reached into his pocket. Regardless, he turned down the street towards the store. "Candy and stuff isn't really healthy, you know?"
Carmen looked up at him with a raised eyebrow then realization washed over her face. "Oh, right, you can't read my mind. No, I'm totally getting actual Pokémon food, but I'm getting stuff for me, and you if you want some," she explained.
"No, I'm full, thanks for asking." Arceus responded.
"Candy sounds good!" Nova piped up, nearly jumping off his shoulder.
Arceus patted her head. "Calm down, there... You're not going to get any candy." She visibly drooped, hoping for candy.
Carmen turned around, walking backwards. "She wants candy? I'm sure I could find some Pokémon candy... wait... can you understand her?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She turned and immediately tripped over something, catching herself on her hands.
Haydo flapped her wings to catch herself as Carmen fell. "Are you okay?" she asked landing next to her friend.
"Are you okay?" Arceus echoed, helping Carmen back up. Nova hopped off his shoulder, sniffing nervously at Carmen's feet.
"Yup," Carmen said, pushing herself back up onto her feet, brushing her hands off. "I'm always fine," she smiled at him. "Come on," she said. Carmen was just a clumsy girl, it was who she was, so she was used to ignoring bleeding, scratched up palms.
Haydo flew up and landed on her head again. "She'll be okay," Haydo told them. "She falls a lot. There was this one time she broke her foot because she fell down the stairs,"
"That's good..." Arceus was still a bit concerned, especially over the whole broken foot thing. regardless, he still followed, hoping Carmen wouldn't pick up on the topic of how he understood Nova and what she was saying.
Carmen had completely forgotten the topic, she was more focused on candy. "Hey, do they make Pokémon candy? Did I already ask that? I feel like I already asked that," she sighed and shrugged. Carmen looked over her shoulder at Mason. "Are you sure you don't want anything? Like... a soda?" she asked. She stopped in front of a store, her hand on the handle of the door.
"Um... get me a fruit tea and a bag of chips. For the specifics..." he shrugged. "Surprise me. I don't know if they make Pokémon candy, but if they do, get something for Nova, too. I'll go get us a hotel room; meet you back here in ten?"
It took five minutes to get to a hotel that had vacancies, so by the time Arceus could actually get a room, the only room left was one with one bed. All the rest had been reserved or taken before him earlier in the day. When he returned to the store, he and Nova were out of breath from running back, and about three minutes late. "Sorry... for being late... hotel... far..." He stood up straight, stretching a bit. "Anything I can take?"
Carmen had been humming to herself, staring at the sky and imagining what it was like to fly. "Huh? Oh, are you late?" she asked, looking at him. "Oh, please," she said handing him two bags. "Sure, you can carry these, thank you," she started walking, humming again slightly. "How far?" she asked, looking at him.
Arceus took the bags and started walking down the street. "Five blocks down... left turn and another two. Oh, also... um... they only had one room left, with one bed..." he blushed slightly. "Sorry, it's the only thing I could find at short notice."
Nova trotted along, sniffing between the bags they carried. "What'd you get?" she asked up to Haydo.
"Well at least we won't get cold," Carmen smiled up at him, noticing the blush. "Hey, it's only weird, if you make it weird," she told him, nudging him gently.
"We got Peppermint sticks that are made for Pokémon and we got special sugary drinks made for us too, plus Carmen promised to share her popcorn," Haydo said, landing on the Eevee's back. "I'm Haydo by the way,"
"Great to meet you, Haydo!" Nova responded. "Peppermint sounds good! I don't think I've ever had that before... what does it taste like?"
"Yeah..." Arceus shook his head and rubbed his cheeks, trying to clear the blush. "Sorry. I'm just not used to sharing a bed."
"It tastes... strange, but really good. I hope you like it," she said. "It's one of Carmen's favorite things and she'd share with me, but human things aren't good for us, so I'd feel sick, but I never let her know,"
Carmen shrugged. "It's okay, I've only slept with a few guys so I'm not exact used to it either," the realization of her words hit her. "I mean, I haven't like done anything with any of them, and... I honestly don't know how to dig myself out of this whole," she sighed. "I haven't done anything," she added on again.
Arceus laughed a bit. "I know what you mean. I haven't done anything, either." he smiled kindly, turning the corner.
Nova walked along behind them, not really listening to what they were saying and paying attention to Haydo. "But if you get sick, shouldn't you at least say something so you stop getting sick?" it seemed like common sense to Nova. Even she wouldn't be desperate enough to try and eat human food.
Carmen nodded, playing with her lip piecing with her tongue. "Yeah, virgins till... I don't know, whenever it happens," she shrugged, then sighed. "I'm weird, I'm sorry,"
"I know that seems like the logical thing to do," she said, looking over at her human friend. "But Carmen likes to share, it makes her happy. It doesn't make me so sick that I regret it, but making her look happy is always worth it,"
"No, it's okay. You really have to stop apologizing for being weird. I really don't mind," Arceus responded, as they arrived at the hotel and made their way to the room.
"Hmm... I guess. My trainer - well, old trainer - never shared. He didn't like to have others share, either, and hardly ever fed us, so I'd often steal food like that..." Nova responded, meaning the poffin earlier.
Carmen nodded and smiled up at him. "You know, you're really cool, Mason," she said, nudging him again. "How does one get to be as cool as you?" she asked.
"I'm sorry that your trainer was bad. Arceus wont treat you like that. And if Arceus has to get back to being our God then Carmen will happily take care of you until he comes back," she smiled.
Arceus scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't know... It just comes with accepting the way things are, I guess... that's my secret, anyways." They arrived at the hotel room, and he fished out the key, opening the door and setting the food down on the table just inside.
"Thanks," Nova responded with a nod. "I know Arceus shouldn't be bad, but Carmen... are you sure she's okay? She worries me a bit..."
"And how are the way things are?" she asked. "Or, never mind," she placed the bags down as well. "All right, let's get this party going," she stated and started to place the sodas and candies on the table. "All right, these are Poke treats," she said, placing them on the floor. "And these are human, here's your tea," she said handing the man his drink.
"Why?" Haydo asked, looking up at the girl. "She doesn't know Pokémon well because she never wanted to learn, which is why she doesn't know about human food and Pokémon, but she means well,"
"Thank you very much," Arceus nodded, taking the drink and going to sit on the bed, opening the can and taking a sip. "So, what do you want to do before going to sleep?"
"I don't know," Nova shrugged. "There's just something about her... It's weird. Don't you feel it?"
Carmen played with her lip piercing as she tried to figure out what to do. "Um... how about... I don't know," she sighed. "How about we tell stories? We're going to be traveling together right? What if we talk about who we are and stuff?" she asked.
Haydo looked over at Carmen again. "No... weird how?" She asked.
Arceus internally dreaded this. "Okay, sure... You go first."
"Like I said, I don't know..." Nova shrugged, tearing into a Pokémon treat.
Carmen nodded and sat down on the bed. "There was this one time, it was the first time I decided to play Xander in public. I was in the park and I was getting set up and this girl from around town walked up and accidentally spilled her coffee all over my sheet music, I was so devastated that I went home in tears and my mom and I curled up on the couch and we just sat there, until we fell asleep," the smile on her face showed that the memory meant a lot. "It's not very interesting, but it's my favorite memory,"
"Well, she'll love you and keep you safe," Haydo said, proud of her friend. "And if you're mean to her then I'll have to fight you," she warned as she started eating her own treat.
Arceus smiled. "There was this one time I was teaching my... little brother how to walk. He has a leg condition that makes him walk different than everybody else, so when he walked across the room for the first time I was so overjoyed I started crying
"Awe, that's so great!" Carmen said with a grin. "I'm glad he got to walk." she took a drink of her soda as she tried to think again. "Um, there was this one time when I came home with about forty bucks after a performance, it was the most I ever made. That was the first and only time he said 'well done kid'," she made her voice deeper as if mocking her dad.
"That's great! I sometimes wish I had parents..." he shook his head. "I remember the first time we made cakes for Azure day. No one knew what they were doing, so it all looked horrible but was by far the best cake I've ever eaten."
"You don't have parents?" she asked. "I'm so sorry, but I'm glad that you had such a great cake," she smiled. "There were times where I wish that I didn't have parents..." she said, her gaze dropping slightly. "Or well... my dad, I wish I didn't have a dad,"
"Why? What's wrong with your dad?" Arceus would have loved to have a dad, so he would have known how to properly raise his sons.
"He, um..." Carmen sipped her soda. "Oh, so when Haydo hatched I was scared, because I had never seen a Pokémon up close before, so I actually wouldn't go near her, but she wouldn't stay away from me because I was the first thing she saw, it took me a total of two days to even hold her," she completely ignored his question.
Arceus laughed, deciding to drop the subject. "Well, at least you got over your fear..." he yawned.
"Yeah, I'm not afraid of everything," Carmen smiled at him. "Oh... I guess we should go to sleep huh?" she said, looking over at the great treats they hadn't even touched. Eh, she would have them tomorrow. She finished her drink and threw the can away.
"Actually... could I talk to you about something?"
"Um, yeah sure, what's up?" Carmen asked, crossing her legs.
"I know this is kind of sudden, but I need your help deciding between these three lovely girls. One's a sweetie, an opera singer. The others a fighter, full of spirit and really kind once you get to know her. The third is this a girl I never expected to catch my fancy like this... who should I go with?
Carmen raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Okay, I need more than that if I'm going to help you decide. Tell me all you know about these girls and exactly how all of them make you feel,"
"Well, the first girl's name is Christine. I don't know much about her; I met her on my travels and we kind of hit it off. Now that I think about it, it was more of a puppy love; she had said she had someone back home."
Carmen nodded. "Okay, well then that means she's already off the list," the girl said. "Puppy love plus someone back home is just a great memory," she decided.
"The second girl's name is Shilo. She's spoken for, but she makes me feel so happy inside I simply can't give her up. She's a bit prickly but that's half her charm. She hates being touched, but I feel like she puts up with it for me… And... um... the third girl's name is Carmen... I'm sure you two are already acquainted..." he blushed deeply at this last bit, said after a brief pause.
"Wait, so this girl hates touch but she puts up with it just for you, even though she's spoken for?" she twirled her lip piercing with her tongue as she thought. Then when he spoke again her cheek turned red. "Wait... um... what?" she asked, then shook her head. His words swam through her head. "You can't give Shilo up, but you have feelings for me," she looked at him. "I'm kind of feeling second best right now," she told him, honest, but still a small smile on her face.
"No, no, that's not what I meant at all." He gently cupped her cheek with his free hand. "You and her are neck and neck. I've only just started to get to know her. Plus she has another whom she also touches... but not like that! Well, not that I would know..." he was floundering at this point.
Carmen smiled at his touch then chuckled as he searched for words. "Okay, okay... but you and I just met, Mason, how can you talk like you've known me for more than a few hours?" she asked.
"Because these hours felt like the best I've ever had. You ever get this feeling, like something that's meant to happen? I feel like that right now." That, and he's notorious for acting on impulse.
Carmen grinned. "Yeah, I get that feeling," she told him. "And I'm feeling it, trust me. I like you too, Mason, which is weird because I don't really like guys... at all," she told him. "But... you're safe, I can feel that,"
Arceus smiled. "Thank you..."
"Is it bad that I want to hear all about this girl you're in love with so I can hate her more and more?" she said, scrunching her nose.
Arceus kind of laughed at that. "Not really, though I wish you could meet her. She'd probably hate you too… Nah, she's strongly spoken for... she'll have to go off the list, sorry about that."
"Why should she hate me? No one's ever hated me before..." Carmen said, her eyes showing worry. "Wait... what made you change your mind?" she asked at his sudden change of heart. "You confuse me," she giggled, all worry from before going to happiness.
Arceus shrugged. "I was just thinking over what she's said to me... I guess she never liked me all that much. It's really obvious now that I think about it." He smiled sadly.
Carmen nodded. "All right then, fair enough," she said, putting a hand over his. "Hey, I'm sure she is totally in love with whatever guy took her from you, but she's missing out on a great guy, and I have to admit, I'm happy that she is," she smiled at him.
He smiled warmly. "You're just saying that because I told you how I feel."
"That isn't true," Carmen told him. "I like you, Mason. And not just because you like me. I honestly have feelings for you, I mean... they're new so I can't place them perfectly, but they're there,"
"That's great!" he said, feeling a fluttering in his chest and a turning over in his stomach. He hated lying to her, but at this point didn't know how to break it to her without feeling weird. He couldn't just come out and say 'Oh, by the way, I'm actually Arceus,' that would probably make her leave faster than keeping the secret, so he figured he would just not tell her for now. Arceus yawned, setting the can of tea down on the nightstand. "Thanks for listening to me, it really means a lot."
Carmen giggled lightly, she wasn't ready for sleep in the slightest, but obviously the man was tired. "Yeah, no problem. I like listening as much as I like to talk so whenever you need to talk about anything just let me know," a small grin spread on her face. "I still want to know about this Shilo girl sometime though, I want to know why you liked her, because it sounds like she is the complete opposite of me. But you can tell me later, okay? Right now you should sleep,"
"Right... Thanks, sorry if I made you uncomfortable..." Arceus removed his jacket and shoes, before climbing into bed, turning off the lights on the way. He wasn't really tired, but eventually he figured Carmen would need to sleep, so he would just wait until she fell asleep and quickly tackle tomorrow's work overnight so he wouldn't need to slip away during the day.
"Night, Nova," Haydo said as soon as the lights went off. She fluttered over to Carmen, landing by her head, placing her beak over the girl's arm in an almost defensive way, it was how the two had slept ever since they became friends, Haydo, though small, was Carmen's safe guard, one of the few reasons she was alive.
"Good night, Haydo," Carmen said, this wouldn't be the first time she forced sleep on herself, she did it a lot back home. "Good night, Mason," she closed her eyes and with the comfort of Haydo, she fell asleep quickly.
Nova had fallen asleep upside down in the Pokémon treats, crumbs littering her fur, drooling slightly out the side of her mouth.
"Good night," Arceus waited, listening for Carmen's easy breathing, and once he was sure she was asleep, he stepped out of bed and headed to the balcony.
Carmen was out cold, she usually was, she was a heavy sleeper, Haydo on the other hand was not. "You're going to come back, right?" she whispered to the Pokémon God. "Please come back..." she looked at her friend. "She didn't fake all of her smiles today,"
"I'll return, I promise," Arceus responded to the small Pokémon. Looking around, he lightly launched himself onto the hotel roof, summoning the glowing golden displays and starting on his work
A/N: Okay this one didn't get nearly as much love as the first chapter did... and by love I mean editing. If anything looks choppy, forgive me. I was a bit rushed and it's really hard to get a role play into story form. If you see anything wrong with this please let me know and I will gladly fix it.
READ ON!
- SA ;P