30 June 3130.
7:30 pm.
Caliban.
Aria and I retired to our hammock bed. The sun was going down, and that hammock provided one of the most alluring views of the sun. The two of us lay in an embrace as we watched the sun go down. The golden rays cast a wane light, and in the sky, an almost full moon was dimly visible. We could hear the humm of insects in the woods and the sound of lotads in the springs waters. When a significant enough bond was formed, the ability to perceive emotions as colors was possible.
Our bond had been deepend by the opening of our hearts earlier in the evening. Drained, we communicated more by emotion afterwards than by word. Our emotions were currently intertwined. Feelings of peace, but also a sense of eagerness. our interlocked hands had rarely separated since I felt myself break down and confess to her my feelings.
There was a feeling of an afterglow. The climax of our emotions led to an ebb. Drained, we simply allowed ourselves to fall into our bed.
What do you think the sun really is? Aria suddenly asked.
I looked at her for a moment, feeling her genuine curiosity. I wondered for a moment if she was making a joke, yet nothing I felt indicated as much. I smiled as I tilted back my head, then thought back to my chemistry class. Many years ago, a brutal and new teacher assigned problems twice as hard as they needed to be. My amusement was easily detectable as I answered her. In the simplest sense, it is a giant ball of gas and plasma 865,374 miles across. It shines because it is taking hydrogen, the simplest atom, and fusing it to form helium. The light we see is the result of that process.
Oh. Aria said. I meant, what do you think it IS. Is it life? Is it something else? What does the sun mean to you?
I was taken aback by her question. I did not realize that the Gardevoir philosophized. I found myself at a loss for words. I... really don't know. I know what it is, I know what it does, and I know how it forms. To me, that's all that is important. I know that the planet is 4.65 Billion years old and in 1 billion years the Earth may well be dead and in another 4 or so billion years the sun will start to die. When it does, it will reduce the Earth to a whorl of atoms... But, to me the sun is simply an ever present feature of life. Like a friend you hold onto no matter what... I never assigned it special significance beyond that...
Aria looked at me then grinned. A gardevoirs grin can only be described as... adorable. If they are the type to show their teeth, it has an impression of trying to look intimidating, but instead invoking a feeling of contradiction. Hers though, her closed mouth smiled barely shifter her skin. Yet her expressions were radiant when she smiled. So the sun is a friend who helps you to see and keeps you warm. It is a personal thing to you?
It is life, but also, it is passion. I think. I feel passionate when I think about the sun. I think it is the expression of so much, without actually being any one thing. I tried. At this point, talking in context of emotion was growing steadily easier.
So what is the moon? She suddenly asked.
I smiled then slowly lifted my bad arm to stroke at her head. My hand lingered near her ears. Which seemed to be cartilage. Flexible and soft to the touch. Tranquility, a dream. Whenever I think of the moon, I think of the time I visited the Ocean and walked along a sandy beach one night under a full moon. The sandy dunes shimmered gently and brought a dreamlike tableau to my wanderings. I felt peaceful but also, entranced.
She looked at me then shifted her head so that her cheek came into contact with mine. This was a deeper form of affection, similar to how we as humans kissed.
You love the moon then don't you? She asked after we stopped rubbing our cheeks.
Yes, I used to dream about walking on it. Many years ago man walked upon its face. I used to look at those photos and I dreamt about walking among the craters, looking up at earth. Looking out into the endless sky beyond the moon. A wistful smile came to my face.
So, if there were men walking on it, why did you not go walk on it to? She asked in a curious yet innocent manner that struck me.
I suddenly felt an old emotion wash over me. I felt a hint of guilt and trepidation. Nobody is walking around on it anymore. We only went there for a few years and we haven't been back...
I felt disappointed in myself for some reason as I said that. Even though political grandstanding and missile technology were not my fault. I saw it as a perfect metaphor for what we have wrong in our world.
My disappointment was slowly eroded as I felt Aria emit a wave of comfort.
Apollo...Dazzled me. Of all the events surrounding the moon program, my most vivid recollection was how dreamlike it was. The moon has been there for the entirety of our history. Everything that we did for the generations, was framed by the moon. Folklore always attributed a mysterious quality. Then, when men walked upon it, you could feel that we had entered that world of myth and legend. When we sailed out into the sky, we had emancipated ourselves from the earth. Once upon a time, man soared into the solar system. For a few important years. Then we ran home. Apollo was not actually about scientific enterprise... It was about nationalism and geopolitics. We desired to step out into the space, but that desire was sullied by ideological confrontation. I elaborated. The initial rush died, and we did not continue. We stayed close to home, and instead dream about what we could do next.
I felt myself drift into silence as the last rays of day gave way to twilight. The red coloration slowly began its recession from the world. A gentle, comforting, warm darkness spread its fingers ever so slowly.
But, didn't it inspire you for a time? Aria suddenly asked.
I shifted my head to look into her Red and cerulean eyes. The question was there, but her smile stayed my words. Even if it was about all of that, didn't it inspire you to dream about what could be? You seemed optimistic when you described your bedazzlement. Yet your lament only came out when you considered the why. Doesn't it make sense to acknowledge that, but look at what it really did? Don't your kind still look up and ask questions about the universe? You didn't stop afterwards did you? Her innocent questions all but spilled out of her as she asked that.
I found myself comforted by her words, then I leaned my neck so that my forehead met hers. Our warmth mingling where our skin touched. I felt a wave of affection envelop me as I formulated my answer. That is true... No matter what it was about, we still hold that as a symbol of what we can do if we put forth the effort. The moon landings inspire an optimism for innovation, and they elicit dreams of what could be. I guess the reasons for something are only as relevant as we wish them to be...
At such a close range, her eyes filled the entirety of my vision. My bad hand, previously stroking her hair, paused, then splayed around her ears. I felt my hand touch upon a spot just behind them which elicited an audible cooing noise from her. With a giggle, she shifted her head to cause my hand to brush the spot again.
After a few moments of this, I finally decided to close the remaining distance between my lips and hers. Kissing was an experience both of us had little real experience in. The cheek sensations were their forms of kissing. Yet, as my lips brushed hers, I could feel a crushing wave of desire spread from her. Somewhere, I knew I was aware that since we had bonded, I was more aware of emotions. I could sense hers, and there were the radiant emotions of others. Yet compared to hers, all others seemed grey. I wanted nothing more than to loose myself in them. As my lips separated from hers, I felt her head move forward to find mine. Her teeth, so similar to ours, even if tiny, nibbled gently on my lips. As we separated, the satisfaction she felt was evident.
Under the steadily brightening moon, we slipped into our affections.
7:47 pm. Field 50 meters west of the hide.
Amelia had just concluded that this was the work of the Gardevoirs. Rage enveloped her as she turned to look scornfully at the location of the settlement. Without a word, a flash of light enveloped the area as she released her Poochyhyena. She walked steadily towards the settlement, which prompted the Dark type pokemon to lop loyally after its trainer.
She didn't know if they could sense them yet. She didn't even know if they were still there or if they left after they did who knows what to Rowan. However, she realized that she just didn't care. She had a thirst for vengeance that seemed unexplainable in scope to her. Never before had she felt this much anger. It mixed with her feelings of guilt and heartbreak. She felt responsible for his death and yet, she knew that had it not been for those damn elves, this would never have happened.
She soon found herself just outside of the entrance to the settlement he spent so much time studying. What looked innocuous to her before, even boring , now looked repulsive. The very sight of the settlement offended her. She knew there were 5 adults there. She knew that to these psychic types, Assurance would quickly render them unable to fight. She wasn't going to kill them.
Not yet.
She was going to beat them all, then she was going to exact pain until they fairly begged for death. She was going to make sure that they felt every inch of her wrath and that they could see her eyes and beg for forgiveness. Their deaths would be slow and they would learn never to cross humans again.
7:53
I hovered between sleep and wakefulness. Arias emotions were ebbing towards peace as she began to drift off.
However, with a flash of light nearby, I could feel her suddenly sit up in alarm, then vocalize towards the others. In a flash, The Matriarch had joined her while Aitsu saw to Asa. Through Aria, I felt surprise and confusion.
I slowly pulled myself out from the hammock, then began making my way over. to see what the commotion was about.
Standing in the field was a figure and a poochyena. There was anger there. Was this person the owner of the animals that had attacked me? Dimly, my brain began informing me that something wasn't right. That I was forgetting something.
However, it wasn't until I heard her voice order the poochyena to attack that I realized who it was.
7:52.
Amelia stood in front of their settlement as the Poochyena growled menacingly. It assumed an attacking stance as ghostly figures began to appear just beyond the entry into the place Rowan observed so meticulously. She could remember him describe it as a communal eating area.
She noticed that the Aquamarine bitch was there.
"Kalos, Use Assurance." She simply ordered.
The pokemon suddenly leapt into action. It bolted across the field in the direction its master had indicated. The footfalls sounding exceptionally loud in the still summer air.
Amelias face began to fall as she realized that something was wrong. A person had suddenly appeared who set off alarm bells in her mind. His voice seemed slowed down as he bolted for the Aquamarine Gardevoir.
By the time she realized who it was, Kalos had already leapt into the air to deliver his strike.
Her eyes suddenly widened in horror as she realized that she had just sentenced Rowan to death.
Her voice caught in her throat as she attempted to scream some kind of cancellation order before her struck.
But it was too late.
-Rowan-
When I saw the Poochyena bolt towards Aria, I felt myself moving. I wasn't even aware of the distance as I felt myself running towards her.
I didn't register the pain as her chest shard dug into my chest as I pulled her into my embrace. All I did register was an emotion of horror for her and the strongest desire to protect her. It was enough that as I felt the impact from behind, I was keenly aware of Arias surprise when I hugged her. The force of the impact was enough that I felt my feet leave the ground and the world went sideways.
Everything in this moment felt exceptionally dragged out. The beginnings of a great pain spreading across my back. Arias scream as she came to the realization of what happened. There was another terrified scream as well. I didn't know where it came from. It wasn't mine though as I was dimly aware that my lungs lacked air. What I was aware of as I flew was a sense of relief as our bodies turned in midair. Dismay at the bandage being damaged as my bad shoulder dug into the ground. Confusion as I felt something hot falling down my back like liquid.
But more than anything, I was keenly aware of waves of terror coming from Aria as she regained her senses and saw me on the ground holding her. I felt my vision swim for a moment as the force of the blow finally overwhelmed my senses. But I remember thinking that Arias face was not suited for sadness as my eyes closed.
-Amelia-
Oh. God.
When Kalos attacked, it was Rowan who jumped out and used his body to shield the Aquamarine Gardevoir from its attack. She could only watch on in terror as his body was sent flying from the impact and the two of them landed on the ground with a sickening sound. Even in the dark, Amelias eyes could make out the dark crimson pool of blood that spilled from the wound and formed a disturbing puddle around his body.
Amelia suddenly took off at a mad dash toward Rowan. As she approached, her desperate voice screamed for Kalos to stand down. Her speed picked up as desperation gave her muscles strength.
This was the worst case scenario! I killed him! she thought in terror!
Suddenly, Amelia slammed bodily into something.
The force of impact sent her sprawling backwards painfully.
In confusion, she stood up, then took off running again. She barely made it a foot before she crashed into the barrier again.
She felt herself stumble backwards then raised her hands up, then began striking at the space before her. Her fists making dull thuds against the invisible barrier that had been erected around her.
The Matriarch turned away from the now imprisoned woman, then swept over to Rowan.
Along his back, starting from the previous injury, and extending across his back, was a fresh, deep gash. While dark blood poured profusely from this new, sickening injury, she gave a quiet sigh of relief when she realized that it was not life threatening either.
The Matriarch seemed to regard the man with a sense of curiosity.
In his arms was Aria, who was crying out in horror that her mate had been attacked for the second time in 5 days. She appeared uninjured and did not yet seem to register that her mate just took a serious blow for her. In many ways, she was lucky. Had the blow struck her, the consequences would have been so much more severe. Yet, she was relatively uninjured thanks to the man.
She suddenly turned to the woman who was imprisoned. Her companion Pokemon seemed confused by this turn of events. It stood uncertainly by as Amelia hysterically screamed and hit the barrier panels with her hands.
The Matriarch regarded the imprisoned woman silently. While Rowan had been readily accepted as he was the one who spared her Asa the trauma of being struck until it fainted, the same could not be said for the female companion who had been regarded as missing until this moment.
The human woman harbored something within her. A desperation to prove herself perhaps. Or an inherent sense of superiority that was unwarranted in nature. No matter what it was, as the human woman began screaming out in despair and hatred, the matriarch couldn't help but to feel pity for the young woman.
It was obvious she seemed to care for Arias mate. Yet Rowan held no emotions towards the human woman. There was a feeling of companionship and familiarity. Yet there was no tell tale feeling of caim duc that Aria and he shared.
Amelia fell to her knees as helplessness engulfed her.
She was being contained in a box and was unable to move. Her hands hit the sides uselessly as she felt regret overwhelm her.
The matriarch sighed, then allowed the barrier to collapse. With a snapping noise, air that was displaced by the barrier rushed to occupy the void left. The collision of air particles set off visible sparks that lanced through the air as a function of the barriers disappearance.
Amelia almost instantly scrambled up, then began running towards Rowan again.
As quickly as before, the Matriarch had her seized. This time though, it was through psychic. Her Red eyes glowed amber as she held the hysterical woman in her grasp. It was, she realized, almost pointless. The woman would just keep trying until she was cast as far from here as she could be thrown.
Sympathy filled the matriarch as she looked to Aria, who had scrambled over to Rowan, then began screaming for Aina to bring forth more medication and leaves.
This night was a mess...
Amelia felt herself hang suspended in the air. Her body wracked itself occasionally with a sob. However, she couldn't bring herself to continue her hysterics. Instead, she watched as the Two gardevoir began applying some kind of gel to his badly cut back. The gel seemed to thickly coat every inch of skin around the cut. The Aquamarine Gardevoir then began applying leaves to his back while making strange cooing noises.
She wasn't able to tell, but she had the feeling like the Aquamarine one was comforting him with gentle calls.
Slowly, the blood flow stopped entirely and the injury was covered from view with this strange assortment of leaves and gel. Then, The Aquamarine one Rolled him onto his side then seemed to cradle his head in her hands.
"Leave him alone you little whore!" She found herself lashing out angrily.
In a moment, the Aquamarine Gardevoir appeared in front of her. Recognition was clear on her face and, to Amelia, there was a certain threatening quality to all of this.
Her voice died in her throat as she felt the Aquamarine gardevoirs piercing gaze. She felt a sudden sensation of Loss. A feeling of being torn apart filled her head. It was like she was experiencing the death of a loved one in explicit detail. Her breath quickened as she felt this sensation grow. Her breath became ragged and her senses seemed to mute. The feeling of devastation seemed to grow exponentially until she was certain the feeling would rip her apart. It was too much for her to stand this wasn't right it was.
Then, it was over.
Amelias body sagged against the psychic restraints as she felt her strength fail her. Her body seemed to be dropping to the ground. Her feet hit the ground first but her knees gave out as she felt them begin supporting her bodies weight. She felt her body sag as she was gently deposited on the ground. By the time that her eyes had refocused, the Aquamarine Gardevoir had him in her arms again. Again, she was making that strange noise.
It occurred to her at that moment.
The streaks of blood on the ground were not them dragging him off to kill him.
The destruction was not their doing.
Something else attacked Rowan and he was saved by the gardevoir.
Her body tensed up again as she realized just what it was she had just done. Then, she curled up into a ball as another round of guilt laced tears exploded forth.
Aria took Rowans head in her hands. Her small hand rubbed his cheek affectionately as she felt him for how bad it was. She felt a gentle trickle of emotions. Tiredness, pain, confusion, a sense of closeness...
He was ok.
Again.
In relief, she gently raised his body with psychic, then slowly walked away, her arms guiding his now limp body. In short order, he was back in their bed, and this time he was turned to the side. She gave dismayed look at her mates body. Any more attacks and he would not be able to move. His body couldn't stand many more attacks like this... Nor could she. The suffering he seemed to take was almost too much for her to stand. She slid into her hammock with him. Fear radiating from her as she pulled him close to her body.
As silence settled across the settlement, it was broken only occasionally by Amelias shuddering sobs.
1 July 3130.
8:30 am.
Dimly, I became aware of her body.
This was actually unusual. The previous time that I had fallen asleep in her embrace. I could acutely feel her. It was more than a physical feeling. She was there with me the entire night too. My dreams were never unoccupied as she descended into them.
However, I was keenly aware that she had not been in my dreams this last night. It was a depressing thought really. Her presence in my mind had brought me a great sense of comfort. Being with her in my dreams brought a sense of completion that I did not know I was previously lacking.
Gradually, I felt my eyes labor to open.
Aquamarine gratefully filled my vision. As my eyes focused on my surroundings. I realized that I was laying on my side facing her. Her arms were draped protectively around my torso and hooked along my back. My bad arm was pinned by her but my other hand was draped across her body. By all appearances, we had fallen asleep hugging each other last night.
I felt myself unable to fully remember what happened. My last cogent memory was that we were laying in bed together talking about the moon. Then I have hazy recollections of rushes of activity followed by darkness. For some reason, my back was rocked with pain. It was that kind of dull thudding pain that seemed to run the length from my shoulder to the bottom of my ribs.
With a groan, I gently moved my good hand from her waist then placed it on her face. I pushed her light hair back, exposing her eyes, then let my hand trace along her eyebrow, then down the contour of her face, gently caressing her ear.
As I touched upon the space just behind her ears, she finally stirred with a cute cooing noise.
Her body shifted, gently pulling herself closer to me. Her shard graced my sternum. A soft heat was felt almost radiating with serenity.
Her eyes cracked open finally. Her red and cerulean eyes met mine with a dreamy expression on her face. It was clear that she was still encompassed in sleep as she regarded me. Good morning beh sze…. Her soft, honey like voice rang in my head.
Good morning Aria… I replied. While I was fully awake, she often took a fair few moments to really wake up. So, he went back to stroking her face with his hand. Though, after he discovered the spot behind her ears that she seemed to love having touched by him. He gently stroked that little spot. A small crook where her jawbone and ear met.
She closed her eyes, then shifted her body in sign of pleasure at his actions.
Then, she stopped as her eyes snapped open.
A wave of concern washed over him as he felt her recall the events from the previous night. She suddenly disengaged her arms then began pawing at his face.
Beh Sze, tell me you're ok! That monster attacked us last night don't you remember? Her emotions became panicky as she also began to get out of her bed, jostling him in the process.
Her sudden movements sent me askew as I slowly tried getting up as well. I don't remember much except that something leapt at you. That's about it really. He gave her a worried look as it didn't really occur much to him to be worried about his own body. You didn't get hurt did you?
She stopped then stared at him for the longest moment. Her neck tensed up as a racking sob overcame her, T-that's not funny… of course I'm fine! You were the one who was injured not me! She roughly said that as she then looked around quickly. Suddenly, her eyes shot over to a curled up body on the ground. Her eyes narrowed as waves of anger roiled off from her.
I felt the anger, but felt confusion more than anything as I looked over in the direction. Suddenly, it occurred to me what had happened.
Last night, for some unknown reason, Amelia attacked us and Aria was almost seriously injured. I had jumped in front of Aria and took the hit. Apparently it was strong enough to knock me out. O put my arm onto hers, then gave her a comforting rub. Trying to calm her down as I realized the source of her feelings. Since Amelia had attacked seemingly without reason, there was no reason to believe that she was seen positively. Had it not been for the steady rise and fall of her chest, I would have at first thought her dead.
I stood up slowly, then felt Aria also get up. Automatically, she put her arms around me. I looked at her, then gave a thankful nod before I began making my way towards Amelia, who was still lying on the ground in the communal area.
He finally reached her, but found that leaning over to gently rub her shoulder difficult and cumbersome. However, with great effort, he managed to do just that.
Why are you even bothering with that woman? Aria suddenly asked. She attacked us without provocation and hurt you. She is no better than that dark type beast that she uses.
I looked at her with a look of surprise. She wouldn't have attacked us without a good reason. She's my friend. She wouldn't just turn on us like that unless if something was… A wave of realization washed over me.
As Amelia stirred I found myself standing up. The change in altitude caused me to experience a sensation of vertigo that made me momentarily unsteady. I leaned heavily into Aria. Her warm body instinctively embraced me as I found my footing.
Aria, when I was attacked, did anyone ever go back and clean up the blood? I asked.
She fought back a repulsed look then shook her head. We do not return to where we are attacked. She said. It is considered to be spoiled by the negative energies that we lace the ground with. To us it carries a trace of the emotion we felt that day.
That explained it… As my brain worked, I realized that I hadn't gone back to the camp site since I woke up. I know that the hide at least was damaged since the pokemon had leapt through the walls and struck me there.
She saw what had happened and I am thinking… If you saw our bed ruined and me surrounded by some pokemon, wouldn't you think that I had been attacked by them? I suddenly asked. There was no accusation in my voice. I didn't even know if she had been struck by anyone.
Empathy is what stayed my hand last night. Came the bell-like voice of the matriarch. It appeared that she had awoken. I could feel the hatred she felt towards us. I figured that since she was with you before, it had something to do with the attack of a cyclic ago. I restrained her last night so that she wouldn't hurt others nor herself. Her melodic voice rang out.
I gave a slight nod as Amelia began to stir. I could feel confusion sweep across her features as she slowly roused herself from slumber. Her eyes glanced around and felt uncertain as she was not able to remember precisely why she was there. However, her eyes met mine, then I could feel the wave of recollection strike her. To me, it was like suddenly being elevated to a great height. The sudden onrush of emotions left me disoriented.
"Rowan!" She cried out.
I suddenly felt my body get struck by a great weight, then a wave of pain overcame me as I felt the injuries suddenly cry out in protest. Along with the sensation of relief that I felt, there was also the sense of jealousy that radiated not from Amelia, but from my Aria.
I was suddenly aware about how this looked.
I gave a sensation of worry towards Aria as Amelia suddenly pulled back, aware that she had slammed into my body and probably opened a few recently closed wounds.
"Oh god I'm sorry! I am so sorry! I didn't mean. I didn't know!" She let out as regret and confusion mashed together in a strange sensation.
Aria gave me a confused look which prompted me to Rub my head against Aria briefly before I elaborated. I think she thought I was attacked by you and didn't know that you saved me… She's feeling regret because she made an assumption and didn't think things out.
A surge of sympathy overcame me from Aria as she realized what had happened. I became aware that the commotion had roused the other Gardevoir from their rest. As such, they gathered as well to watch the scene with the strange human woman who previously was an enemy, but now seemed surprised.
"Amelia..." I started to say, but felt the words hard in coming. "It's ok… Just... " he allowed his voice to stop. I noticed that his voice felt rather rough. I coughed a few times in an attempt to make my voice work properly. Suddenly, it occurred to me that it had been at least a week since I really had need to properly speak. The entire time, I spoke to Aria without once using spoken words. Everything that I said to her felt natural. I felt like more was being communicated to her. Our words were laced with emotions, but it was not open to misinterpretation. There was no clumsy attempts at articulating those feelings. When we spoke, they were absent. It felt the exact same as talking for me. Yet it was only then that I realized just how different it was speaking vocally.
She took a few minutes to regain her composure. I could feel her relief slowly subside as she eventually came back under control. By then, I had seated myself on the ground with Aria sitting next to me, her willowy body leaned onto mine. Amelia finally looked up at the two of us. Her mind now calmed down significantly.
"They actually saved me…" I said simply. My words were confirmed by how my torso had those familiar leaves and the bonding agent. "I got attacked by a bunch of pokemon like yours. Poochyena. Had it not been for them, I would have died. Since the attack, I have been slowly healing up here with them…" I indicated the other Gardevoir who had seated themselves in a semi-circle.
"I… I see, I had arrived last night and… everything was ruined. All your equipment was destroyed. Your tent was shredded and the wall tent was collapsed. The hide was completely destroyed too. I thought that it was them. I…I saw these large puddles of blood all over the place and then I… I thought the worst…" She looked at the ground as she answered. "I...I shouldn't have left you… I could have stopped this. I…I was worried while I was gone, but I comforted myself in the idea that since they seemed to like you it would be ok…" She kept staring at the ground despite trailing off.
There was an awkward silence that had fallen. There was hostility still from the Gardevoir. I could all but feel their thoughts. Arias in particular was especially hostile.
I confess that there was something that had concerned me about this entire situation.
"Amelia… you attacked to get revenge didn't you…"
There was a sense of regret that I seemed to be able to feel.
"I… I didn't want them to get off with your death…" She simply said.
I gave a sigh…. Her intentions were troublesome. The Matriarch understood the meaning of her words. But did not move. This was my mess in a way. I could feel their desires though. I slowly stood up. Aria kept holding me as I did this. In a way, I found the thought occurring to me that her clinginess was kind of unusual considering that She normally let me get up on my own.
I looked at her then gave a reassuring feeling. It flowed from me in a gentle rush, however, I felt it crash against her feelings. They swept over me suddenly. There was a feeling of fear, of uncertainty, and desire.
Then, it occurred to me.
Aria was worried that I was going to leave her.
ses frau.. I sent.
Aria realized that this was the first time I had actually used the gardevoir term for her part of our bond without any hesitation. I wanted to make it clear with each word that she did not need to fear for our connection.
Beh sze? She suddenly replied. What is it?
I'm not going to abandon you… Not after what we shared last night… it went without saying that we were feeling each other's emotions freely, so she knew I was aware of how she felt. However, I realized something important: Amelia couldn't stay here. Not after this. I'm… going to send her back to the camp… I don't want her to endanger you anymore…
I touched Amelias shoulder. She suddenly snapped her eyes up to look at me. Her eyes swam with surprise as she stood up suddenly then seemed to move towards me. However, he body met with opposition as soon as she tried to move towards me.
It was my hand.
In confusion, she stepped back. I then nodded towards the field, then slowly began making my way out into the field itself. I heard light shuffling as she fell into step just behind me. Next to me, I could feel Arias sense of uncertainty, but I wrapped my good arm around her waist to reassure her.
After the three of us were out of the te ze I stopped, then collapsed onto what was quickly becoming my sitting stool.
"Amelia, I'll be blunt with you with this… They all want you gone. "
Shock crossed her face as she considered what I said.
"I don't quite understand… So what? They're just po-"
My voice suddenly cut her off
"Amelia stop!"
She flinched at the sudden harshness of my words.
"That attitude is what the problem is. I would have thought you'd have realized it by now that we honestly cannot sit here and ignore all the facts."
"What facts? They're a bunch of pokemon! They don't have houses they live out here and you cannot honestly be saying that what they want has any relevance here! You need my help and god knows you probably haven't been eating right" She said. A dark expression was on her face as she said that.
"Amelia, what are pokemon to you?" I finally asked.
"Friends I guess… They fight with us and help us out when we can't do something alone." She answered.
"Can you talk to yours? Do you understand it?"
"…Yes. " She allowed.
"Do you remember our talk about group dynamics? How it takes a village to raise a child?" I asked, referring to the second day of our field work.
To my surprise, she nodded. "I remember everything you said! I would never forget!" She responded.
"These Gardevoir live in a village, they dedicate their effort to raising the children. So, do they have a social structure?"
"Sure.." she said.
"Do humans?"
"Yeah…"
"Then Amelia, what is the only thing that is really different between us and them?"
"…Appearances?" She said uncertainly.
With a nod, I then continued.
"As long as you keep forgetting that they actually can think, can reason, and do organize, then you think you are somehow superior to them."
"So what? We are aren't we? We have homes, we have cars, we capture them. We have technology and they do not" She said in a haughty tone of voice.
"And that's why you have to leave…." I simply said.
She stopped then gave a confused expression once more.
"Amelia, as long as you think you are better than them, you will not be able to form a bond with them. You will not be able to really understand them."
she didn't say a word.
"These gardevoir are social creatures. The only difference between them and us is our reliance on technology. We are truly no better than they are…" I said that then finally shook my head. She wasn't getting it.
"Amelia, go back to the camp site, please recover what you can of the cameras and their memory. My notebooks are important too, so I need those as well. After that, send a message to the university that there was an attack by poochyenas and both of us were injured. Let them know that while we are both fine, A lot of the video equipment was ruined. However, I'm still able to do my work. I don't care what you do otherwise, but after you get me the memory cards and my books, you can take your leave. I'll write a positive assessment of you so there is no chance of your enrollment being pulled. But take some time off or something… Visit your family, go see the beach. I don't really care. Because of what happened, they want me to stay with them for the time being. So aside from my personal things, I have no need to keep the hide up and running… "
She was confused. I couldn't blame her. In a sense, I was firing her from her main role. I felt a measure of guilt. But then… As things were right now, no matter what I said, this would not be easy for her.
"B-but I can stay! I can help with the research! God knows how disorganized you are! Who will proofread what you've written? Who will protect you if you are attacked again?" She asked.
I didn't say anything in response. The answer was sitting in front of her.
She didn't seem to understand just what was going on though. This was good. It made it easier for me to send her off. I searched my feelings for a moment. As silence settled, I finally reached out to Aria. I need to send her away… I am worried that I might have to… be abrupt with her…
Aria shifted her eyes, then I felt a rush of understanding from her. Our hands skirted each other, but we did not join them. Instead, I gave a sigh as I steeled myself.
"Amelia… you haven't helped me. Truth be told the only reason you were sent out here was to stun the ralts so that I could tag it and to cover our escape. We didn't need to tag the ralts and we don't have to risk discovery anymore. ….Having you here will only hinder the work… not...help it…"
Amelia looked at the ground. I could feel the words having the impact on her. She had just been told by me that she was useless. That she was a burden. I felt terrible. I felt self-hatred rise as I said such a cruel thing to her. She didn't deserve that. She was, in fact a great person and was a help to me when I needed it.
"I… get it…" she finally said. Then, her head raised up, then met my eyes. I never really looked into them, so I was momentarily taken aback by how vivid they were. If it wasn't for what had transpired, I probably would have found them attractive in their own ways.
"Rowan… I'll be honest with you… The only reason why I wanted to stay with you is because of how I feel about you… Ever since you took that approach to the Ralts I felt attracted to you. You are confident in yourself, but you show sensitivity towards others without a moment's hesitation. You are intelligent and can rationalize in a way that I am almost frightened of, but you are perceptive…. Let me stay with you…" she said then suddenly stood just in front of me. A look of pleading in her eyes.
Aria seemed to understand what was going on. Amelia liked me.
That made it even worse.
"Amelia… I don't like you in that way. To me, you are a friend… but not someone I could be with. Whatever kept you away for that length of time wa-"
"It was my mother!" She suddenly exclaimed. I realized that I had just stepped on an emotional landmine with her. However, the explosion carried out differently than I could have predicted.
"That stupid bitch! She got all worried because she hadn't heard from me and got it in her head that if she was in the hospital then I would come running back to her! Her daughter would talk to her and give her attention she doesn't even deserve!" Anger would have been an understatement. There was a look that bordered on hatred in her vivid blue eyes.
"She kept on coming up with reasons after I realized she was ok then she does the most idiotic thing I have ever seen! I felt like I was guilted into staying around her! I hated every moment of her presence! I hate her!"
I was struck dumb by her explosion. I thought she would have yelled at me for daring to imply that she was supposed to be able to see the future or something. Instead, I saw her in a new light. A kind of damaged girl who had dependence issues and a great sense of trust to anyone who treated her like an equal.
However, she continued.
"When I finally got away from her and came back, I was so happy! I was going to see you again and see how things were going. Being away was like a slow torture. Nothing seemed to make it better! But now you want me to leave again?! Especially after how I feel about you?! You're just going to turn me down and expect me to take it?! Don't understi-"
"Amelia Shut up!" I suddenly found myself yelling.
She flinched then stepped back from me. Somewhere as I yelled, my hand had retreated into Arias hand.
"You aren't even considering how I feel about this! You are stuck in your own wants and desires! Look around you! Look hard! All you want to see is what is convenient for you. You don't even care about what's really going on! Look… I don't expect you to understand this… But right now, there is almost nothing you can do. The Gardevoir here hate you for attempting to attack them in cold blood. I was injured and I need to heal. The site is ruined, the equipment is destroyed. If it weren't for the fact that I was saved and brought into the…."
Shit.
Shit shit shit shit shit..
I felt it.
I felt Amelia suddenly realize what was going on. She looked at the Gardevoir then she looked at me.
"Brought into the what?" She asked. Her tone was flat, and I felt shock. She was confused. She didn't really know what to feel. But strangely enough, I did not feel disgust. That would have made it easy to be honest.
"They brought me into their family group." I said. "They see me as one of them. I gave them kindness by not intruding upon them, I helped their ralts out, and they trust me. When I was injured, apparently… they decided to let me stay with them…" I didn't tell her the whole truth. I only gave her a small fragment. I didn't tell her that the entire reason I was now one of them was because the Gardevoir sitting at my side saw me as her mate. I didn't tell her that I had created a bond with Aria that made me reconsider my own understanding of love. I didn't tell her about how at home I felt waking up in her arms. Nor did I ever dare to mention that I felt happy.
"I…. I see…" she simply said.
Whatever tension was in the air seemed to drain as she realized that she was losing this battle.
"That Gardevoir… She likes you doesn't she?" Amelia finally asked.
I could only nod.
"Do you like her?"
I looked not at Amelia, but to Aria then to my hand in hers. Slightly, imperceptibly, my head nodded.
"I… I do…"
I could feel the sinking feeling in Amelias heart. A sense of loss, a sense of confusion, a sense of defeat too. That was the strongest emotion I felt from her.
"I really can't believe it… I lost to a freaking Gardevoir…" she muttered.
"Aria…" I said simply.
"What?" Amelia asked sharply.
"Her name is Aria… she communicates via telepathy. As all Gardevoir do."
"Aria…huh…" Amelia looked unsteady. Her eyes were clouded over in an unreadable expression.
I began to mentally brace myself. Instead, I simply heard shuffling. I looked up and saw what had happened.
Amelia had begun to turn away. Her breath was hitching with each draw. She seemed to be fighting back tears.
"Amelia… If it wasn't for her… I would be dead… " I said.
"I…I know that… I just…"
Her breaking down into tears was the last reaction I expected. I expected… well anything! Hatred, revulsion, anger, pity, disgust! Something other than heartbreak!
After a moment of collecting herself, she finally straightened her back, then turned to look at me.
"I'll get your stuff. But I think the idea of a vacation sounds good. I'll check up on you in a week. I think the University should send you some new equipment though. I mean… Living with them will be a huge breakthrough right? You'll learn so much more this way!"
"Amelia…"
"It'll be fine! I wanted to hit the beach this summer anyways. Not hide in some dark and creepy old woods anyways. Do you need some more clothes?"
I decided to simply nod. It went without saying that I was kind of exposed at the moment. All I really had on were my jeans. My shirt was long gone and I only ever found one boot. I guess it didn't really matter in the end, but I still valued my modesty.
"Alright, I'll get you a couple changes of clothes too while I am gone. Make sure you are eating properly though. I know you like ignoring your stomach because you get so caught up in what you are doing."
"Thanks I…"
"Anyways, Your tent is ruined so I'll get you a new one too. You've been lucky it hasn't rained so far." She continued on. Apparently, this subject change was her coping. I could feel the pool of sadness just below the surface, but I decided to let her continue on. If it made her feel better, who was I to stop.
"Camera too… I could really use one…" I finally added.
"Got it, camera, clothing new tent. Your books should be fine so I'll bring those down!"
With that, she began to turn around. When her back was to me she finally said what was really on her mind.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here…"
With those words. She suddenly tore off to the base camp.
Aria and I sat in silence for a moment. The sudden lack of noise was a bit of a shock to me. Finally, like the gentle rattling of chimes, she spoke up. She seemed so… composed…
She'll be fine. I'm just sorry that she had to suffer so much because of me…
I felt an insistent nudge from Aria at that moment, I turned around, then found myself gazing into her eyes.
It's not your fault. While she meant well… her heart is self-absorbed. It is because of that that Hermestas declined her the privilege of staying…
After what I had seen so far, I understood intrinsically that she meant the matriarch. I realized up until that moment that she had not been referred to by any name. If someone were speaking of her, it seemed as if the use of a name were not needed.
I nodded finally in understanding, then felt my hand shift. I felt my fingers probe hers, then slide in between the gaps in her three fingers. Our joined hands felt warm as I took her in this manner.
We should get back to the others… I said after a while.
Yeah… We haven't even eaten yet… She agreed finally.
There was an emotional weight evident as we both finally stood up slowly, then began making our way back to the others. I felt her trepidation as we supported one another. But sent her a sense of contentment.
I hope you realize that you are the only one I really care for in this way. I said.
With a flustered look, I felt her tiny elbow gently prod into my chest. I.. I know that. I was just scared. I was afraid for a moment that she would take you away from me. That we would be torn apart…
Aria… I don't think I could stand that. I suddenly found myself saying truthfully. I get the feeling like something such as us being torn apart would be too much for me to bear.
She felt reassured by that somehow. I got the feeling that she felt threatened by Amelia. After all. She was a human and she was a woman. Aria did not really understand human culture very well. I could understand though. I had my similar misunderstandings of Gardevoir culture. The two of us actually occupied an unusual space in that we had much to learn about one another. Yet, I got the feeling that in due time, those gaps would be closed. And our understanding would grow that much more as a result.
Ah, they're back! Came the mental call of Aitsu as we entered into the common area clearing. In front of us were an assortment of fruits. However, everyone else had seemed to have eaten already. The 5 of them were gathered around the eggs. Oddly enough.
The awareness that something more important was going on occurred to me as Aria collected a few fruits for us, then joined me as we made our way over to the rest.
You're just in time Rowan of the Tree, We are about to welcome two new fec duhs into our lives.
I looked to Aria as the Matriarch used these new words.
Aria smiled brightly then clarified. Two eggs are hatching. The birth of any new life is fec du, um... the awakening of souls? When they hatch, they are considered to be new souls to us even if they had been with us the whole time… She gave a look as if she didn't even know if she was describing it right. However, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I understood what she meant. New life was very significant. Therefore, the significance was emphasized.
Two of the eggs rattled about as within, the young ralts struggled to emerge. A crack appeared in one as the horn of the ralts made the first break. Then, it retreated away as breathing could be heard. Shortly afterwards, another crack was heard as its horn broke through in another spot. This continued on for a few moments until finally the egg toppled to the side and the broken pieces circled around to allow the ralts to begin emerging. A large radial crack appeared running the length of the Egg. Finally, that piece fell away as the ralt all but tumbled out. It lay on the ground breathing heavily. It was still moist though, likely from the albumen and other assorted liquids that made up an eggs component. Aina suddenly swept forth, then took the Ralts in her arms. I could hear cooing noises from her as she ministered to the newborn ralts.
After a few coos from her, the ralts suddenly let out a cry. It was gurgled and weak. But it was enough to cause Aina to hug it tightly to her. She brought its small head to her chest, then let its horn touch her shard. I felt a rush of warmth as the two embraced in that manner.
When the baby is born, the mother bonds the child to her by connecting their hearts. Aria spoke softly at my side.
The horns are us. mic tem we call them. The seat of our soul. Just like your heart. She brought her hand to my still discolored chest, then gently ran her hand along it.
I could only nod in understanding. This tender and intimate moment held me entirely.
For the first year, She will always keep the Ralts with her. Since she is expecting two, Her Beh sze will also be with her. They will never part, and will work as one... Her voice adopted a dreamy quality as she said that. I felt every emotion that was associated with this. There was a sense of romance and a sense of deeper love there. However, beneath all of that, I began to realize that there was an additional feeling in all of it.
Desire.
It was rough, it was undefined. But it was there. The desire, I think, to have a child of her own. To walk the road to motherhood, and to share with me that feeling. There was also an expectation. An expectation that I too would feel that nurturing desire in my own heart.
Then, it occured to me. The parenting roles, as humans understood them, were essentially misunderstood.
It wasn't two separate notions. There wasn't motherhood and fatherhood, there was a combined maternalism. Both Gardevoir felt this emotion.
This feeling of understanding rose within me as I brought my hands apart from hers enough to allow my hands to dance in her palm. I realized that I did this whenever I wanted to closely share a feeling with her alone. It was a form of intimacy that was unique to them.
There was a feeling of understanding as her hands then began to dance in response to my emotional communication. She seemed to feed that emotion, the maternalistic feeling, into me.
As the other egg hatched, and the Matriarch welcomed the young ralts into her life, we stood in our own little world that late morning. I had gained a deeper awareness into her feelings.
Our bond deepend.
Afternoon rolled around. With it came Amelia. She appeared at the edge of the field, then stood there. Her eyes were downcast and her expression sullen. There was a sense of alarm in the te ze as she appeared, but as Aria and I made our way out to see her, the worry began to die down.
"...Hey..." She greeted.
"How bad is it?" I simply asked.
"Most everything is ruined. The video system works but don't count on it having the same clarity as before. The solar charger is also working but half the panels are ruined, so don't expect to have full power whenever you do come back. The wall tent wasn't badly damaged but almost all of your stuff was ruined. I guess it was because I have a poochyena that I escaped the worst of it... " She looked away with a sense of guilt, then held out a tattered looking bag.
"This is all that remains of your field notes... " She said.
As I took the bag, I saw that roughly half of the notebooks containing reference material were destroyed. My personal field notebook though seemed ok. There were bits of mud and I assume my blood on the cover though.
"Amelia, thanks... " I finally said.
"I'm going to go to coumarine city for the week. I'll stop back by afterwards and drop you off some stuff... But I'll keep away for their sakes..." She said. Her eyes fell on Aria as she said this. It was obvious that her consideration came both from guilt and from a fear she felt. Further, the sense of jealousy was evident in her.
Before I could actually say anything, she suddenly turned then began running away from me. Aria and I watched her go before we turned, then headed back to our home.
Even though a lot had transpired, I felt energized by the turning of events that this indicated. Secretly, I was glad that most of my affects were destroyed. It made it easier to stay with Aria. Sure, I only had a few changes in clothes, and only a third of my books survived, but the important thing in my life was undamaged.
At least that was my thought as I gently held Arias hand.
That evening, as Aria taught the year old Asa how to express its emotions in song, I found myself finally able to sit down.
I ended up writing two accounts. One was the field notes, and the other was an expression on my feelings that had grown for Aria.
Field Notes. 1 July 3130.
It seems like forever since I was able to make note of the events which have transpired. On the 21st, I was attacked by a pack of poochyenas, much like the one Amelia carries with her. I was seriously injured and rendered unconscious by the attack. Had it not been for the Gardevoir, I would have died.
They rendered assistance to me despite the fact that I had been spying on them. Although I was out for an extended period of time, I have been able to heal enough to be able to move without assistance.
Their methods of tending to injury are comparitively primative to medicine used in our culture. However, they have knowledge of herbs and berries that have healing and antiseptic properties. I suffered multiple lacerations to my shoulder and my chest. Contusions are apparent on my thorax, thigh, leg and most of my upper right arm. However, their methods have alieved a great deal of pain without the disorienting side effects. They use a form of Oran and Pecha for the treatment of the lacerations themselves. This is accomplished by forming them into an adhesive paste which is apparently strong enough to hold wounds closed while a bandage is then applied. The bandage itself consists of leaves that act as a bonding agent, causing a chemical change which results in the paste to take on a resin property. The paste has an added effect of administering a light anesthetic to the injured area as well.
In the time that I have been conscious, only one of their bandages required changing. That was one on my shoulder, incited by careless motion on my part the day I woke up.
It should come as no surprise that obviously I have been cared for by them. The obvious conclusion is that I am no longer observing without interference. There is the risk of subjectivism creeping into the observations being made due to this. However, I'm starting to get the feeling that it is almost impossible to not affect their group dynamic at this point.
Further, the telepathic architecture and complexity of their language strongly suggests that their reasoning abilities exceed ours. Upon waking, I found myself able to communicate with them through this telepathic link that was established to facilitate speech.
Oddly enough, the question of why I'm here did not occur to them. I suspect that my presence was known by all the moment I encountered the Ralts. It was, then, by their own leave that observation was permitted in the first place.
Notes on common words used by members of the Gardevoir social structure:
Be Sze: A phrase with a strong emotional connotation used between the pairs of the group. The approximation to our language suggests an upper level endearment that is connoted by the utilization of emotions that are fed back through the pair when the term is used.
Ses Frau: A reference to a the female half of the pair dynamic. beh sze and ses frau seem to be used in a gendered context.
Caim Duc: This word seems to be an approximation for not only a relationship, but also a bond. In human terms, it is simply both Gardevoir sharing their emotions freely. This seems to only occur in mating pairs.
Te Ze: Uncertain meaning. Referred to in the context of a home or settlement. Their definition of a community seems to be communal primarily, with shared spaces but designated sleeping areas that are proprietary.
Mic tem: The proper expression for the horns in the Ralts and Kirlia evolution. In Gardevoir, the proper term arises from it very literally being the seat of life from them. As they grow and evolve, the Mic Tem becomes infused with nerves and blood vessels. This forms a neural architecture that forms a sort of transmission node. It appears that should that be seriously damaged, they will die.
Fec Du: Fec du is described as the soul in the simplest terms. However, what it refers to is the entirety of their being. Upon birth, they are recognized as being imbued with a fec du that awakens upon emergence from their egg.
It is impossible to describe their actions without indicating that emotion determines a lot of their actions. Ones greeting, based upon their emotional state, is widely dependent on their empathic awareness of the other. Thus, if one is tense due to a previous conflict, their greeting is met with a greeting laced with assurances that their pain is shared.
Meal situations: The morning orientation is a metaphorical acknowledgement of the day and the progression of life. Reverence is attached to these events as the matriarchial member first gives food to the youngest member in hopes of prompting a healthy life.
While the interpersonal relations of the gardevoir is based on an empathic ceremony. There seems to be only an awareness that there is a central lead. It does not appear that the matriarch treats others, nor is she treated, differently except during meal times.
With those out of the way, I wanted to describe the events of the day after I finally was able to move again.
The night before Amelia charged into camp and as surprised to find myself patched up by them. She had been knocked out and apparently dragged off before her pokeball force ejected her poochyheena who apparently communicated that she was not a target. However, since she had been drug off, it took her a number of days to regain her orientation and relocate base camp.
When she did not find my body, she investigated the area I had fallen and found that the gardevoir tribe had relocated my body so that I could be healed. She charged in thinking that I was being held or that I had been killed by them. She was surprised to find me awake and able to reason. After she calmed down, I described to her what had happened and that I was healing. Due to my injuries needing constant attention, I decided it best to remain with the social group.
I expressed to her my concerns about the integrity of data, but we both concluded that as long as I was able to observe them up close, I could utilize the favor given to better understand their sociological behaviors.
She opted to return to the camp though. She felt it best to recover what she could and try to make contact with the university about the Poochyhyena attack. It was agreed that we needed a resupply. Since our communications equipment was damaged, I am skeptical if she will be able to use it. If need be, she should probably go to Santalune and relay the information there.
I also made my first survey of the sites today as well. Most of the equipment was ruined. However the storage media was intact enough that the photos and videos collected so far will prove more than enough to construct a daily routine breakdown.
It looks like they all but ruined the camp site though.
What set them off? Why so much damage to the site?
I find myself unable to resolve this freak incident. The ferocity of their attacks are plainly evident. It is no wonder that they have reduced the numbers of psychic pokemon so far. However, it appears that Kalos regions Gardevoir have recently adapted techniques that seem to keep it from being at an evolutionary disadvantage.
However, the question remains: Why were Amelia and I attacked while the Gardevoir settlement was not? I find no answers in either the contact I now have established, nor through Amelia.
Addendum: Amelia is not very happy with what has happened to me. She feels guilty and is now avoiding me as a result. I think she also is upset that she simply assumed that the Gardevoir had seized and killed me. Time will heal that wound I suspect.
Rowan Gingko.
Wow. I did not expect this chapter to stretch for this long. The field notes at the end were actually the first things I typed up. I had considered for a moment just having that as this chapter, then I realized that it felt lazy. I wanted to take the journey back to the field note. Everything in this chapter had special significance for me. Truth be told, Amelia is my second favorite character in this story. I wanted to introduce some of her traits though as they really stood as a serious personification for the kind of duality that this story has been tackling. I considered turning this into a few chapters a few times. However, each part seemed to feed into the next one for me. The realization, Amelias desperation. The awakening of maternalism, even the encounter. Each part needed to be here and they all needed, desperately so, to happen in this exact order.
I apologize for the language in this one. I didn't even realize it, but this is the first time that any curse words were even used. However, they were needed. The feelings associated with their use would not have been articulated if I tried using anything else.
Finally, I consider this something of a turning point in the story. 8 9 and 10 are, to me, the most important parts of the big story. Chapter 4 was major. But compared to what I felt as I have written to this point, and as I move onto chapter 10, it seems almost insignificant in comparison.
Thank you again for joining me on this ride. Hold onto your butts because chapter 10, when I finish it, will mark the most important event in their relationship...
Ok, enough Jurassic park for me...