A lot of what makes a turnaround effective is how the person enacting the turnaround causes things to change. Some do these in small ways, others do them in drastic ways. Sometimes, all it takes is a few suggestions that begin a conversation. Like dominos falling in sequence, energy builds up and further change is enacted. These changes though, as they happen, can seem small by comparison in reference to the times that they happen in.
It is through those small changes, happening almost without our noticing, that the big changes eventually play out. For better or worse, the shift in the status quo allows for more sweeping changes that eventually spread out into the world writ large. To trace these events can often come back to will of the people or simple suggestions. The realization that a course someone is on was wrong, or that the way things have been playing out have not been benefiting the self.
However, it is through those moments, the tiny realizations, that a zeitgeist can happen that opens possibilities that few had ever conceived of. If one had to point out specific examples in the human system of why they had become dominant, why they had flourished so far, and why they had progressed to high technology despite being able to destroy themselves, one would find that it is primarily due to the evolution of stamina and pursuit predation, and the development of critical thought.
These two adaptations allowed the human to go beyond the limits of what was thought possible. In fiction, a story usually revolves around a human encountering the limits of their abilities. However, the reflection of what humans are capable of results in a celebratory writing in which the capabilities of humanity are encapsulated. Those flashes of inspiration that lead us to see beyond what is gives us critical insights into the limitless nature of our imagination.
From those sparks, from those flashes of insight come the beginnings of discourse. It is also worth noting that the sparks from this come down to necessity. In the rarest of circumstance, it is through adversity that allows the realizations of such possibilities. Yet is is also worth noting that when they come from without, they come as the result of the realization of that which is the most important.
Much has been written about friendship and the concept of bonds. Even now my life is shaped by such things. But often, we do not realize the scope of such things until it seems that the world is plied against you. In my case, this was brought into stark reality the moment that Augustine Sycamore came walking down the aisle of that conference hall to face the board of regents for my inquiry. In that moment, I realized that people like him and Maurice were true friends to me.
"If I may be so bold" Augustine said in that cool, charismatic voice that made him so well liked among the populace, "I'd like to go ahead and fill in a few blanks in the Matter concerning Rowan Gingko" he said.
Teague, taken aback somewhat by the sudden arrival of Augustine with Xerosic , Malva, and a somewhat scruffy looking man I did not know, found himself in an awkward position as Augustine so readily spoke up to interrupt the proceedings.
"Dr. Sycamore, Elite Four member Malva and... An agent of Team Flare. How peculiar that you've brought him into this hearing. It's very unusual that a wanted criminal would be anywhere other than prison. Especially when he has been bound by law and thus is considered a criminal." He said, flabbergasted at the strange turn of events.
The man who walked in with the three cleared his throat then spoke, "That would be my fault Professor Teague. Xerosic here is bound by international law and will be facing the international criminal courts for his acts against humanity. However, since pledging to reform himself and stand trial for his actions, he expressed a desire to shed light on systematic corruption in various agencies around the Kalosian region. To that effect, he has come to present eyewitness testimony along with Elite 4 Agent Malva who has provided material support to their agency, but as part of a plea Bargain, has dedicated numerous resources to identifying the institutional structure of the terrorist organization Team Flare. To that end, they have come to offer direct testimony that supports Dr. Gingkos Assertions, and to further elaborate upon why he was attacked that day and who indirectly ordered said attack."
The chaos such words brought to the hearing was palpable not only in the excited murmuring of the attendees, but also the plethora of emotions which filled the conference hall. A menagerie of shock, outrage, disgust, curiosity, and anger seemed to hang in the air, tainting it the slightest tough of chill, coloring our vision in the blue hues of the negative spectrum of emotion. While I felt faint by this onslaught, it was through the guiding hand of Aria that I was able to maintain my focus.
"Those are some serious allegations." Teague intoned as he looked the two former Team Flare agents over, "How about you elaborate on them while presenting evidence that supports your assertion?"
Malva moved forward, then produced a holocomm from within her jacket. She fiddled with the device, then held it out. From the device a holographic image of Tennyson filled the space between her and the seated board members. However, there was no sound at first. After a moment however, a tertiary holovideo began playing in front of him. Finally, audio cut in as Lysandre appeared in view. The angle suggested that this was taken from a security camera.
"Your isolation Area near santalune has an awfully large space requirement." Lysandres voice could be heard saying "What are you doing to make up for the manning shortfall?"
Tennyson looked rather intimidated by Lysandres imposing features. This became ever more evident as he seemed to shift about in hesitation before finally answering.
"Well, we've decided to use class 2 inhibitor pokemon in an attempt to not only contain the subjects but also to ensure the removal of people who would stray into the research area." he answered in a somewhat shaky voice.
Lysandre looked rather displeased with the answer but then seemed to nod, "Are you certain that the Gardevoir provide the best source for the fairy energy needed? We are taking a major risk this close to a city. If your calculations are messed up there could be unneccesary casualties."
A ripple of confusion went through the room. However, before murmuring could increase in volume, Tennyson spoke up once more.
"I believe the risk is worth it. The Gardevoir are the only pokemon which have a sufficient Fairy aura and a high enough population base to serve as a prime source for the ultimate weapon system. Barring of course the actual legendary Pokemon Xerneas can be located. In which case the need for harvesting and experimentation would be decidedly moot. However, given the fact that Gardevoir have a peculiar mutation that not only allows a wide variety of psychic abilities, but the fact that their emotions are the driving force for the intitialization of the ruby aluminum oscillation which fascilitates amplification, their numbers would constitute less of a resource burden than having to harvest other fairy types. Given all of these trade offs, it makes sense to isolate and harvest them as we see fit."
At this point, Xerosic spoke up.
"It is because of this need that research was coauthored by Tennyson and myself. We sought to minimize the status of Gardevoir in the eyes of researchers. To that end, while our observations were correct, we omitted a number of conclusions as a result of their complex behavior. We kind of had to in order to keep the public from getting interested in looking further at the Gardevoir settlement. Further, we also used the fencing method laid out by Tennyson in order to ensure that once a ralts had been seperated, it could be harvested and transported without much notice. However, we abandoned the project about 2 months before the activation of the ultimate weapon. The main reason for this was the critical flaw in Gardevoir. Unless raised in an environment which somewhat mirrors our own rearing behavior, the subjects were prone to insanity, reclusiveness, depression, and in multiple cases, suicide. The environment was kept sterile; the babies were never ill.
'The experiment was halted after four months. At least half of the ralts had died at that point, at least two more died even after being rescued and brought into a more normal environment. There was no physiological cause for the babies' deaths; they were all physically very healthy. Before each ralts died, there was a period where they would stop verbalizing and trying to engage their caregivers, and just stop moving, never cry or change expression. Death would follow shortly. The ralts who had "given up" before being rescued died in the same manner, even though they had been removed from the experimental conditions.
'We came to realize that the Gardevoir species at least has a culture, and that the same basic psychological necessitites that we as humans have were present in Gardevoir as well. However, since we were unable to raise them to adult stage without incident, the experiment was deprioritized. Once solid leads began appearing in the Xerneas search, the experiment was abandoned all together. The experiment was considered a failure and resources were dedicated to harvesting other pokemon which could be used for the purposes of powering the weapon without need for time effort and energy, resources were also harvested, and as was revealed during the ultimate weapon crises, we attempted to capture and utilize Xerneas, which also, thankfully, ended in failure.
'However, upon the disbandment of Team Flare, various heads went back to their full time employment with no indications that they had ever participated in the experiments. Over the last month and a half, I have been working with the International justice department to outline the membership structure and activities. As Malvas video shows, Tennyson here not only was a part of it, but had a vested interest in concealing his efforts as well as suppressing Rowans motives. Knowing him, he no doubt attempted to bring Dr. Gingkos psychological state into question in an attempt to undermine the effeciacy of his observations and conclusions."
When Xerosic finally stopped speaking, an outburst came not from the audience, but from the board members themselves. More specificially, they were focused on attempting to grab ahold of Tennyson as he, in a fit of rage, exploded from his chair, then hopped over the bench table in an attempt to assault Xerosic.
However, in a flash, Malva had produced a small object, which she proceeded to push into Tennysons side. From that, a brilliant blue spark erupted, bringing with it a crackling noise which seemed deafening despite the chaos that had filled the auditorium.
When Aria, Shii and I finally looked back, Tennyson was collapsed on the ground. His emotional state indicated that he was unconscious. A sigh of relief escaped from Arias lips as her grip finally loosened, allowing blood to flow back into my hand. In the chaos of the moment, I didn't notice how her and Shii had reacted defensively, and how I had grabbed ahold of the both of them.
After a few moments in which Booker proceeded to handcuff Tennysons unconscious body and Malva pocketed her taser, Sycamore gave something of a smug expression.
"So there you have it. Tennyson has been falsifying information, endangering a protected species, and has deliberatly lied about the intellectual capabilities of Gardevoir. The reasons for this though, are not as clear from the outset. "
Sycamore gave the three of us a slight smirk before he turned to face the audience.
"You see, Tennyson is as much a product of a system that we encourage while at the same time being an opportunistic person, who sees things the way they are then manipulates the situation into his favor. It's a form of narcisissm that is not entirely uncommon among people who eventually find themselves joining terrorist organizations. It is a complex web of slow radicalization and disaffection with how things are. A certain brand of egotism is also on display, wanting to force the powers that be to comply with individual wishes. '
'It is through not the desires of the one, but the way some structure can be shaped that allows people like him to see the opportunity. At present, we have a ministry of culture which advocates for the preservation of Kalos' unique culture. To preserve traditions and beliefs we have all grown up with. It is a foolish assumption of sorts, that we have reached the pennacle of culture and are thus tasked with the preservation and propagation of the unique aspects of our culture which define Kalos as a region. We focus on these traditional beliefs without asking ourselves whether or not they are in fact the accurate representation fo the world writ large. It is because of this that assumptions like certain pokemon not being human like, or sentient, comes into play. We overlook our rigidity by cloaking it with the guise of progressiveness despite evidence to the contrary."
Sycamore then directed his attention towards the three of us.
"Sitting before us is a prime example of our own shortsightedness to this effect. We fail to recognize the facts sitting before us in our desperate attempts to justify our own beliefs and conceptions of what is and isn't in our culture. We fail then to see other cultures for what they are and instead insist that which is is the only way. We fail at basic intellectualism while at the same time touting it as our largest saving grace as a country. It is our check against loosing our own identity, but gives rise to nationalism which brings the old bigotries into new light while pretending them to be forward thought and understanding. We silence the opportunities for others to come forth and inject vitality into our discourse. As such, we then shun those we seek to protect and uplift. '
"Sitting before us are 3 very clear examples of this. Two of which are Gardevoir, the third is a half human half Gardevoir, removed from one culture, but able to thrive in another one. Our homogeny thus closed off corridors of belief that even he did not know existed. Yet at the same time, he has failed to loose his own cultural awareness. Instead, it has expanded to encompass multiple points of view from which suspect anecdote and experience serve as the main drivers of his actions and viewpoints. Cast vicariously by us as either or, we see the flaws in our own system though him. We claim progress, but he sits before us showing us that we have failed in our own obligation to intellectualism."
The resulting commotion seemed to be brought to a rapid end by the slamming of a hammer against the desk of the boards bench. Teague looked quite beside himself in complete anger over the way things had played out.
"Sycamore, while I have always valued your opinions, you are saying a number of insane ideas. One that Gardevoir have culture, that they can breed with people, that they are as sentient as humanity, and that their culture and ours are closely intertwined. " He groused.
"And am I wrong?" Sycamore retorted.
"The evidence does support what you said, but if that is the case, then it is up to the government to preserve and isolate that culture to prevent it from becoming infected or appropriated by-"
The sudden shift in demeanor brought Teague to a half as Sycamore suddenly cut him off.
"Tell me, what right do we have to say about what is and isn't appropriation. If my assertions are correct, and given the weight of evidence so far, it is, then it is up to the Gardevoir to make that call, not you. Don't be so quick to coddle a group that can take care of itself, and don't assume they need your protection. All it does is reflects a bigotry you and I would quickly denounce if we saw it being done to others."
Teagues flustered countenance darkened but was mercifully cut off by Dr. Wylder.
"Speaking of, I wanted to address the allegation you made concerning the lineage and genetic difference between Gardevoir and humanity. You've asserted that humans and Gardevoir are closely related, and that Rowan here is partially Gardevoir, would you mind explaining this allegation as well?"
At that moment, Aria began to rise, but my hand found hers, then stood up as well. Through our touch, the worries and hopes we shared seemed to dance in intermingled threads of emotion. Manifold, perhaps, by the uncertainty that this question poised to us.
"Of the many peculiarities, the most unexplained is Rowans mothers life. Based upon morphological manifestations, it is clear that some of his bloodline is Gardevoirian in nature." Sycamore said.
Before he could go on though, I interjected "Though if I can just say for the record that my findings are enclosed in the report submitted. The genetic variance between humans and gardevoir are actually rather interesting. I'd like to begin though, by reminding everyone of the genetic bottleneck that happened to us almost one hundred thousand years ago.'
"The recent breakthroughs in genome sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to make great progress in the knowledge of the human genome and genetic diversity by sequencing the individuals of our species. However, less attention has been paid to our closest relatives: Gardevoir. This is due, to a great extent, to the difficulty of obtaining DNA samples of these endangered species.'
Although there is a large number of Gardevoir in captivity, these specimens are a poor reflection of the natural diversity. Now, in my field research, I began by examining their behaviors, however in doing so I came to understand the morpholigical similarity between humanity and Gardevoir, Professors Sycamore, Krafft, Freeman and myself, worked with the genetic material taken from wild specimens, a task which was performed in collaboration with The Gardevoir Tet ze itself, and the sequencing of most of the genomes was carried out at the laboratories of the Delta Mesa group in Anistar city."
'The researchers found that human genomes show a greatly reduced variety compared to the genome of most of the Gardevoir. Out of the 4 seperate family groups, all had a wider variety in their genome than Humans presently do. Few Gardevoir display such low levels. This reduction in genetic diversity is normally the result of a process known as "population bottleneck", characterized by a drastic decrease in the number of individuals in the population'
"What is surprising is the intensity of this bottleneck in human beings compared to most Gardevoir. The genomes of a pair of Aria here, for example, differ in more than in more than 2 of every 1,000 base pairs, compared to 1 in every 1,000 base pairs between two humans. Some of the other Gardevoir studied also have a very low variability as a result of these bottlenecks in the past.'
"The research concentrated, above all, on comparing the evolutionary history of our two species. By sequencing several individuals of each group, We managed to solve the phylogenic relations between these sub-species and, by exploring the genome of the two groups, we have seen that the evolution of all of them has been rather complex.'
"What also became clear to us was the complexity of the evolutionary history of Gardevoir in comparison with humans. The patterns of genetic diversity were consistent with a vast genetic flux or migration between ancestral populations with sudden expansions in population size, followed by accidents.'
"Humans, conversely, have a relatively simple evolutionary history. It is clear that in the last few million years Gardevoir populations fluctuated enormously in size and complexity. The basis of these population collapses is clear but it coincides, in part, with a period of time in which the human population began to prosper.'
"From this examination though, the obvious conclusion stares us in the face: We have to reconsider the phylogenic relation of Gardevoir and human. Based upon the data presented, and the fact that humans and Gardevoir can reproduce with potentially viable offspring, I assert that the proper scientific name for Gardevoir be switched from Angelus Cruciformus to Homo Sapien Gardevoirie. This would more accurately represent the relationship between us. As well, I find that Research with Gardevoir needs to be involved rather than strictly observation and documentation without interaction. The limitations of simply observing without interaction necessarily means that we will inevitably reach flawed conclusions. '
"Finally, the Cultural attributes of Gardevoir should be considered within the context of any other human culture. That is with safeguards regarding forced civilization and state building. We should, I argue, seek to allow Gardevoir special protection under Kalos law until such a time as integration into society can be facilitated or until special reservations and preserves can be opened in their natural ranges to allow them to grow and prosper without having to fear loss of their land to industrialization and expansion."
With those words spoken Aria gave me a nervous look, then squeezed my hand. Then she began to speak. Albeit in a somewhat halting tone. This was, after all, the first time she had ever spoken english without a direct synchronization with my brain.
"Humans... and Gardevoir. We are, Brother and sister. Beh Rowan is my... Love? Lover? Mate? Husband. Yes, husband. We share child. And that child, both worlds. Wanting to make it better for child. It's same ideal, you hold. Other country hold. One world, one life, one love. "
Arias cheeks burned scarlet and the wave of embarassment and worry she felt was palpable as the faintest tinge of wet chilliness in the air. However, the reassuring emotion that flowed from me calmed her nerves as my optimism and pride shone through her worry, centering her on a hopeful feeling.
There was dead silence after we spoke our words. Arias words came as a shock as hers was the first adult gardevoir who seemed fluent in multiple languages. Before hand, ones raised in captivity from a young enough age socialized human enough to speak in basic. With that thought in mind, I turned my attention ever so subtly towards Shii. Shii, oddly enough, seemed rather bored now that Sycamore had put Tennyson in his place.
Tennyson, for the most part, looked panicky, yet for some reason, he was rooted to his seat. Curiosity tinged my thoughts, leading to Arias questioning glance askew at me. In a flash, she understood my confusion, then set her thoughts out upon the conference hall. Off to the side, stood the alakazam who had been facilitating direct translation and intent integrity on the two of us. What was interesting though, was that a mauve shielding covered its eyes, revealing that it was using psychokinesis.
Amusement dawned on us as we saw the target through the faint tendril of emotion that bled from the Alakazam. Stuck in place, unable to move, much less voice a word, was Tennyson. Held in his seat by the psychokinetic tendrils that the Alakazam employed to enforce its will. If nothing else, it prevented a scene from happening.
The silence began to grow ever more oppressive as the moments went on though. The board was shocked into silence, the crowd was aghast at the peculiar turn of events, and the two of us revealed a number of shocking claims that would, if others proved it correct, shake the phylogenic understanding of humans and pokemon to the core.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Dr. Teague finally spoke up. His eyes darted to the other members of the board with dread and worry before he leveled his gaze with the two of us, sitting with the knowledge that our futures, and the future of my work, rested with their decision. It seemed then, that he shared no enthusiasm as he began to speak.
"Your paper will be submitted for peer review, as will the genetic samples you provided. Further, your own morphological changes will be submitted for review. If your data can be reproduced and substantiated by other scientists, the university will officially make the changes. However, the course of Gardevoirian civil rights cannot fall to a univesity. As you know, we are a Republic. The minority gets protection from the majority as long as the facts substantiate the existence and validity of said minority. It would be best then, if that matter was handed off to the appropriate venues. However, despite the findings and your paper being officially submitted for review as of C.O.B. today, we do have procedures that must be followed. As such, I will require you to stand for a few final questions."
I felt an iota of confusion before I finally stood up as straight as possible. There was a palpable nervous energy which felt so thick it could have been cut with a knife. However, with some trepidation, I steeled myself for the questions to come.
"Rowan Gingko, did you directly interact with your research subjects"
"Yes," I answered truthfully.
"Did you fail to report your accident immediately after being revived?"
"Yes," I again answered, though with some confusion.
"Further, did you, after reporting your findings outside of normal reporting procedure timelines, continue your research in close proximity, to these Gardevoir?"
"Yes I did."
"Finally, are you aware it's against protocol to do so Dr. Rowan?" He asked.
I stopped myself from instantly answering. There was something behind the questions he asked. A hint of nostalgia perhaps. It seemed connected to a larger emotion. The thread linking the moment to a massive well opened up before me. Its intensity threatening to pull me into a nearly bottomless chasm. I had to rest my free hand against the table to maintain my cool.
"Yes." I finally answered.
With the barest of smiles, Dr. Teague finally gave his pronouncement.
"Then it is the recomendation of this board that Dr. Rowan be removed from behavioral psychology faculty and placed on paid administrative leave until such a time as he is placed on a new research faculty, due to be comissioned in 6 months time to facilitate cultural research on human like species of pokemon. Though Dr. Rowan showed poor judgement in his execution of research, his disregard for procedure allowed for new evidence to arise which both questions the integrity of previous research on Gardevoir' at this he looked to Tennyson 'and requires further evaluation of research and discovery. As such, an ethics board will convene in 6 months, though Dr. Rowan is no longer required for cross examinations. Instead this will deal with post criminal charges to Tennyson and also involve drafting new procedures. "
Like a weight, the words of Dr. Teague sank in. While the crowd reacted with mixed degrees of emotion, Rowan, Amelia, and Shii surrounded Aria and I. In the 3 of them, we found their hapiness that mingled and threatened to drown out our mutual confusion.
Seemingly picking up on Arias confusion, Sycamore decided to elaborate for her.
"Rowan will be going back with you, and the college may open a research facility nearby that he will need to report to. Your husband is gonna be ok!"
Relief flooded Aria. Relief that threatened to knock me on my feet. Its intensity was a potent reminder of the depths of emotions that Gardevoir felt as a whole.
'This does bring me much relief!' She finally chirped.
"Tell me about it! I was worried for a while!" Amelia chimed in.
"Though seriously, this team flare group is like.. suuuuper everywhere aren't they?" Shii chimed in.
A shadow of emotion crossed Sycamores face before he reached over and patted Shii on her thin shoulder, "Sometimes, humans believe things selfishly. We have so many different points of view, and we hold these views very passionately. While we may sound flawed, some of our beliefs make perfect sense to ourselves even when objectively they seem insane." He explained.
"That's one of the things about us. We kind of sacrifice empathy for unity at times. Yet when the cards are down, we come together like no other. Unlike Gardevoir, humanitys empathy is fluid. We learned to dial it down, but when something big happens, it brings us together in the belief that such tragedies should never happen again. Half the planet can mobilize itself in order to stop cruelty being visited on the other half. While we aren't perfect, and we cannot get along at times, we at least have the capacity TO come together."
3 weeks later.
After the chaos and excitement of the hearing, the quiet of the Tet Ze seemed to be the most beautiful thing in the world. Aria and I were greeted by the others that night we returned with something of a feast. Amelia, Shii, Freeman, and Sycamore were also there. What was odd though, was the fact that Amelia was allowed to come close. To this, Aria clarified to me later that evening.
"You see Beh Sze, The Tet Ze is no longer under control of Hermestas, she has passed the duties and the love for us all unto you and I. So she's allowed to be here because I no longer feel..."
"Jealousy?" I jokingly offered.
Aria cried out in affected dismay then playfully batted my arm, "I was going to say a violent need to ensure she understands how fish swim but yes, jealousy"
After a moments laughter, I felt the realization sink in. The Former matriarch and her mate were leaving. It would fall to us to take care of the others, and from that, begin walking the Tet ze into a direction we both wanted the place we love to go.
After the nights festivities, interspersed with Amelia acting goofy with Shii, who tried teaming up on me, only to be playfully stopped by Aria, it eventually fell to Freeman, Krafft and I sitting around the fire, passing yet another bottle of cheap liquor around. The conversation had slowly shifted over the course of the night. We had gone from talking about the hearing, to talking about Tennyson and how deep the whole team Flare conspiracy went, to talking about where we were going from here. A more somber mood filled the air as we began to discuss the future. For with the move from here, the group would split apart, and we would go our own ways. Freeman was set to get back to his labs come morning, Sycamore had to go meet with the newest batch of pokemon trainers, I had to begin drawing up some modernization plans, and tending the egg, while Krafft was set to fly out to the Hoenn region.
"You know" I finally said, "No matter what happens, we should all get together around this time every year, and just catch up. Nothing fancy, no big plans, just the 4 of us, this fire, this cheap whiskey, and the night. " I said.
Freeman gave a wry smile as he looked at me. "Why don't we make it about 5 or so?"
With a sly smile, Krafft gently Nudged Freemans ribs, "Ah, I am telling you Rowan, he cannot be away from his wife for more than 5 minutes!"
Freeman gamely pushed Kraffts arms off before he then looked at the two of us. With trepidation in his voice, he continued, "Well more like husband when you get down to it. "
The change in emotions was apparent as Krafft and I took in the information.
Krafft seemed shocked and slightly discomforted, but it felt more because his mind was unable to really attach the feeling to a known heteronormative feeling. However, after some discomfort he reached over then patted Freemans shoulder "5 it is. I am liking more drinking partners"
I gave no response. Part of being able to freely access ones heart was the intimate knowledge that things were not so simple as they seemed. Aria had voiced such suspicion to me back during the singularity experiment. And I had suspected as much as well. Thus, it came to no surprise when I simply gave a grin.
"Called it!" came the drunken slur of Professor Sycamore, passed out on the ground where his camp chair had tilted back.
Laughter filled the campfire site as we became united in the appreciation of the goofiness that Sycamore brought when he least expected it. Used to dealing with kids and dealing with academics as he was, it was clear that very rarely did he have the time to drop the acts and just be a regular guy. Our laughter carried into the night, eventually cajouling the moon to sleep.
In the weeks afterwards, things fell back into a more or less normal Pace. Twice a week, Amelia would come to visit us. Though she spent most of her time talking to Shii, Shii would practice her gardevorian and trade off watching the egg while Aria and I took care of various duties of being the head family, also trying to sneak in some alone time, and so on.
It was at the end of that week though, that it finally happened.
"So how long does it take?" Shii asked us impetuously.
"As long as it needs to" Aria absently answered.
The three of us were gathered around the Egg. This morning, we had noticed a single pip in the shell. Beneath that pip was a faint red of the Ralts' horn. In this stage, Aria and I now had an additional role. The actual birth of our child, where the instinctual act gave away to the determination to escape and complete the emotional bond with its parents that we had initiated.
Baited breath seemed to define our waiting. For every shift, every wiggle, every noise, was met with anxiety and hope. Aria and I kept our hands connected the whole time as we focused our emotions, our hopes, and dreams for our child, into that span between us and the young life.
Finally, almost after hours of waiting, the egg tipped to the side. With its impact, the shell shattered around the upper half, allowing us to see the young child as it wormed its way from the egg.
As one, Aria and I stood up, then took the child into our arms while shii looked on. With the slightest nudge, Aria and I both caressed the Child ralts' horn, which caught the dying of the sun in its reflection, casting an evanescent prism of colors upon our faces.
"With the dying of the light, comes twilight. Both before and after the light. With her birth, she marks the twlight between the old and the new. The night and the day. I hope then, my sincerest wish, is that our daughter can walk boldly into that light" Aria intoned.
"Our Daughter Aura".
End Chapter.