Chapter 6 - A fountain of emotions
"Why a ranger?" Silver asked. They were sitting on the porch, taking in the landscape of snow and ice. That is, he was, since Rowena's concentration was mostly on the pair of boots she was repairing.
"As a ranger I get to work alone, only following the set ranger duties and the schedule of patrol. It's peaceful and calming, and I prefer the outdoors anyday." The reply came without her once looking up from her work, concentrating. Silver would have liked to get more of her attention, but gave up for now. He'd try again... later.
"Why a wandering trainer?" She asked, catching Silver a little off guard. He hadn't been prepared to be questioned back as Rowena usually, at least in the past, hadn't really bothered asking him anything at all. Sure, she was aware of his story, his background as well as his current status, but she had never shown any interest in knowing why. Continuing to watch her careful use of the sharp needle, Silver slowly replied.
"I can do what I want whenever I feel like it. I don't have anyone telling me when to battle, when to rest and when to..." he paused, but then decided to say it anyway, "...when to strike at Team Rocket. And so forth. I'm free to do what I want, when I want to."
"And yet you're not." Rowena stated, finally turning her gaze to him, briefly. "You said it yourself the moment you mentioned Team Rocket. It's haunting you, both awake and asleep, whether you like it or not… I suppose not. You take it as your mission to stand in their way, and you have your reasons, granted; but you can't let it go. You plan when to strike, and you don't do it just because you feel like it. You do so because you feel that it's your duty, and because you strongly believe that what you're doing is right. It might be right for all I know, but at the same time, the world isn't black and white."
Silver felt a sudden urge to yell an angry response at her, but his words got caught in his throat. Technically, what Rowena had just said was no insult; only a few simple facts. Even though he literally carved his own path to walk, he was still bound to Team Rocket, having vowed to one day bring them all down.
Rowena, noticing the silence that fell over them, put aside her handiwork and stood up.
"It's getting late. Let's have a bowl of soup and go to sleep; I'll put the kettle on the fire." With that, she went inside, leaving Silver to sit alone on the porch. He was still staring at the spot where she had been sitting moments earlier. Inside of him, his emotions were at civil war. He had passionately hated this woman for so long, and now, when he finally had confronted her, he felt a whole other kind of passion burn his heart. He was by now sure it was more than frustration and lust he was feeling; the sensation slowly overwhelming him.
Silver clenched his fist, thinking back to their encounter in the forest atop Ice Path. The urge to take her there and then against the tree had been all too tempting, but at that point, the quest for answers had been stronger than anything else. The question now was: did Rowena feel the same? It was hard to tell. Her body and facial expressions barely showed any emotion at all, and what feelings were hiding in that ice-cold heart of hers no one could really tell. Silver's pulse had sped up when he held her, but the reason might as well have been fear or suspense or anything else other than what he secretly wished for.
All this meant only one thing: he had to find out.
~Rowena's POV~
Closing the door behind her, Rowena took a moment to lean against the frame and collect her thoughts. Those piercing silver eyes were still etched clearly in her mind, not wanting to be forgotten. Her heart was pounding in her chest like she had just run up the icy slope and back down. For once not quite certain of her own emotions, she let out a deep sigh and went to put the kettle of soup on the fire. What was this man playing at anyway?
~Back to normal POV~
Silver finally stepped inside the ranger's cabin, now freezing slightly. As soon as the sun had set, it had grown instantly colder and darker. The darker it became, the colder the air got. Therefore, he immediately headed for the fireplace, sitting down beside it and letting the warmth wash over him.
Rowena put two bowls and two spoons on the table and then joined Silver by the fireplace, mostly to see if the soup was ready. Deciding it had to boil a little longer, she remained crouched beside him. This was the closest they had ever been to each other without one of them strangling the other. Apparently, both were thinking along the same lines as they soon looked at each other briefly before continuing to watch the fire.
"Strange." Rowena murmured, stirring the burning wood.
"Indeed." Silver murmured back. His emotions were still raging inside him, part of them telling him to leave and part of them telling him... something completely different.
"Let's eat." Rowena stated shortly, taking the kettle from the fire and pouring soup into the bowls. She sat down by the table and started eating, famished. She hadn't realized how hungry she actually had become, escaping from Silver and only drinking coffee since. Silver, whose stomach grumbled, sat down opposite of her and pretty much gulped down his soup; as if he was afraid it would run away at any moment.
They ate in silence, even though Silver's body was now screaming at him, overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions. Unbeknownst to him, Rowena was struggling to figure out what the strange feelings she was having meant at all. She couldn't look at Silver without her heart skipping a beat or two. Therefore, she quickly finished her soup and stood up.
"I'm heading to bed; I have to be up early for my morning round tomorrow."
She washed her bowl and left it in the sink, stopped by the two Pokémon still snoozing soundly on their quilts to check on them before heading into the bathroom to wash up before bed. Silver finished his soup and put his bowl in the sink as well. He stopped to stare at the bathroom door, trying to figure out what to do now. The feelings inside him were raging, tearing him apart. He had to do something. The question was what...
Silver didn't get much time to think as Rowena soon came out from the bathroom, dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. She went over to the sink again to fill a glass with water, drinking it thirstily and then filling it again to have it beside her bed during the night.
"You should rest too." She stated, putting down the glass on the nightstand. "If you plan continuing to Blackthorn City, Ice Path isn't exactly the most human friendly environment."
"I'm not planning anything yet." Silver said shortly. Rowena shrugged her shoulders.
"Whatever." She replied with a sigh, her irritation returning. "Since it seems like a lost cause to ever figure you out, I'll just stop trying for the time being. I'm too tired for that."
"I seem like a lost cause? Look who's talking." Silver snapped back, the raging anger inside of him reaching its boiling point. There was something about this woman that constantly kept him on the edge, and he needed to explore that unknown territory. Rowena scoffed.
"Really, we're going there again?" She bit back, exasperated, turning to face him. "From what I recall, I've been answering your questions all day long, not to mention I'm actually letting you stay the night. Now shut that mouth of yours and let me sleep, you ungrateful little brat!"
"Not until you explain..." Silver hissed, walking towards her, backing her up against a wall. "...what you're doing to me."
"What in the name of Arceus are you...!?" Her sentence finished with a gasp as Silver had spun her around, once again gripping her wrists tightly and holding her tightly against him with his arm around her chest.
"You're a darn nuisance to figure out, you know that?" He hissed in her ear. "I hated you with passion, and now I'm suddenly supposed not to. Trying to figure out whether you despise me or not is fucking impossible...!"
"I believe I've made myself clear by NOT kicking you out with force, but now I'm darn tempted to! Don't test my patience, it won't last long!" She growled back, boiling with anger.
"Shut up!" Silver growled back.
"If it's sympathy you want you won't find it here, you insolent fool! Now let me go, or else..."
"Or else what? You'll kick me again? That might hurt, but I'm prepared this time."
"Then I might just have to destroy that damn face of you-..."
Before she could continue, Silver had spun her around again. He grabbed her hair and slammed her into the wall, crashing his lips onto hers.
Rowena was stunned. At first, she instinctively tried pushing him away, but that didn't work at all. A wave of confusion, which completely paralyzed her for a moment, washed over her; soon followed by another wave that filled her with burning lust. Copying his actions, she grabbed his hair and kissed him back fiercely. With the hand still holding her wrist behind her back, Silver tightened his grip and pulled her closer, not letting go.
Silver pulled her hair slightly, exposing her neck, which he hungrily explored. Rowena growled and bit down on his neck, causing him to growl as well. He found her mouth again, biting her lower lip and inviting himself in to enter. The growls became moans as Rowena managed to free her hand from Silver's grasp and grab the neckline of his shirt, pulling him towards her. The sensation was overwhelming them both, none of them able to think straight anymore.
After what felt like an eternity later they broke apart, panting heavily. His silver eyes met her cold, grey ones, filled with a burning desire and lust.
"What are you waiting for?" Rowena growled, sounding frustrated.
"Enough waiting!" Silver growled back, grabbing her shirt and pulling her closer. "I'm having you; right here, right now."
"Come at me."