Cherrygrove's Winter Knights
…
- Enter the Winter Knights
Questions raced through Aubrey's mind, darting and careening like stars and crashing into oblivion. Just moments ago, a simple day morphed into a small-scale war with two of her newfound friend caught in the middle. That said nothing of the Chikorita that followed her, whom she carried whenever it didn't, and whom the girl with deathly-cold eyes claimed to know about. It was all so outlandish and fantastic—
But all Aubrey could focus on were the four fingers intertwined with hers.
Moments ago, she had felt the biting chill of winter frost as it tore through her parka and stocking cap. All of that seemed to vanish in an instant; the warmth between her and Paddy obliterated any semblance of the season. As she walked, she had half a mind to take off her jacket. Though thankfully, she was anxious, not stupid.
Chikorita had taken to walking on the sidewalk as soon as they had arrived at the side-streets. Suburban houses—the identifying mark of deceptively-suburban Cherrygrove City—surrounded the three on all sides, with the skeletons of once-majestic trees leering at them from above like vultures.
Aubrey's right arm dangled joyously, in time to the rhythm in its own mind, while the two walked with a brisk pace.
Of course, Aubrey had no idea where they were going.
There were the questions again.
Why had Marie trusted her, after knowing her for so little a length of time? Who were those men, and why were they waiting for their small group of barely-high-school girls?
…The more obvious questions—the ones pertaining to the girl with eyes like death—would go unmentioned. There were more important matters to discuss at the moment anyway. For instance, she could say something...anything to Paddy.
Anything.
Aubrey struggled to bring words to her lips, but the fight was impossible. Every time she worked up her vocal chords, they lost their nerve at the moment of truth. Paddy simply marched onward, peeking behind them every few minutes or so, and otherwise moving only to pull his hat down farther.
He was, at the same time, mundane and breathtaking.
Aubrey suddenly noticed the lean boy was only wearing a T-shirt in sub-zero weather. Though the instant she realized she had been looking at him, Aubrey shot her eyes back down and glued them to Chikorita.
"Y-you look cold," she said to the pavement. And when she worried if she had said it too quietly, Aubrey added, "You forgot to bring a jacket."
"It's somewhere in the Pokemon Center lobby," Paddy shrugged. His words left trails of white smoke in the air. "I was planning on getting it when I left, but…what happens, happens. We couldn't exactly run back to get I," He laughed.
"Are you cold?" Aubrey hated herself instantly. Idiot girl. Of course he's cold.
"It's not that bad," Paddy lied. "We're almost there, anyway."
"Lanette's house?"
Paddy noticed the way the name didn't exactly roll off of Aubrey's tongue. "You don't know Lanette, huh? She's one of Bill's friends. You know Bill, right?"
Deadpan stare. Paddy smirked, and Aubrey couldn't tell if he was laughing with her or at her.
"Lanette and Bill worked on the Pokemon Box software together," he explained slowly. "You know what that is, right?"
Another strike out. Aubrey's blank expression sent a full laugh through Paddy's core. His smile was so happy, so true, that Aubrey couldn't help but gawk.
"You're not a Trainer, are you?" And when Aubrey shook her head, "To be honest, I didn't think so. I mean, you've got that Chikorita, so I figured you might be a rookie, but you just didn't look the type."
"There's a type?" Was that an insult or a compliment or nothing at all? And why did Aubrey suddenly want to know the meaning behind everything he said? If Rory had told her that, Aubrey would have shrugged it off. But from Paddy..
"Well…your friend with red hair talked like this wasn't exactly her first time holding the line. And then that girl with a Snag Machine's probably never been to a party in her life. As if having one of those doesn't make her a Trainer automatically.
"When I saw you, I knew you were different."
Aubrey's lungs vanished from her chest, only to be replaced with electric bursts of adrenaline.
"Oh, sorry," Paddy cut himself off. The slightest hint of a blush spread across his long cheeks. "I shouldn't be talking about your friends like that."
Without warning, Aubrey found herself giggling like a buffoon. Paddy didn't have any reason to shut himself up. Though Rory and Marie were nice girls, everything Paddy said was entirely correct. Even the bit about Marie needing to go to a party; Marie was a bit older than her, but she was years more mature. Maybe decades, even. Though, Aubrey realized she probably had to be to become a Covenant agent.
…Wait.
"What did you mean?"
Paddy stared at her, without a single muscle in his flawless face budging even slightly.
When Aubrey froze harder than the ice in the gutters around them, Paddy laughed. "Oh! Sorry, I forgot I'm wearing this hat. Here," he pulled up the edge of the beanie and wiggled his bushy, black eyebrows in a curious response.
Aubrey was willing to bet dollars to donuts that she looked like a complete idiot now…Stupid giggle reflex.
Wait. She had a question, didn't she?
"You said Marie had a…a machine?"
Paddy's brow furrowed. He pulled the hat back down.
"The thing on her arm," Aubrey continued. "That's what you're talking about, isn't it?"
There was an awkward pause. Or at least, Aubrey felt awkward. What exactly made a pause awkward? Was it that they weren't saying anything? OR did the conversation just die? Conversations can just die, Aubrey tried to remind herself. Not everything is awkward. Or was he getting tired of her asking questions and laughing like a nut?
…And why was Chikorita smiling at her? She wanted to tell Chikorita to mind its own business, but that would make her look rude, and—
"Hey, we're here," Paddy said.
The two of them had stopped in front of an older Victorian-style home, with two stories, a balcony, and a roof decorated with mahogany shingles. Aubrey realized that they had turned three corners and crossed who knew how many streets; they might as well have been in another county. Aubrey recognized nothing, but somehow, she was unafraid.
"Is this your house?" She asked. It hadn't seemed as naïve in her head.
"No way," Paddy said. "We're back this way." The two strode down the empty driveway and opened the unpainted wood fence. Aubrey expected some kind of backyard area, like the kind her parents let the Pokemon in their care run around in. The driveway and brief trail to the would-be backyard had all of the signs: marvelous flowers lining the concrete, grass that enjoyed care and constant watering. The white sheath of snow burying the greenery only complimented it more.
Rather than seeing the wide-open space that she expected, Aubrey saw a green shed with more plants potted around the perimeter. Paddy led her through without stopping, and for a brief second, Aubrey wondered if this wasn't such a good idea. Chikorita stuck by her calf like a guardian angel.
Paddy rapped his chafed knuckles against the paint-chipped door.
"Who's it out there?" A girl's voice replied. Aubrey noted the slight accent, but couldn't quite place it. It wasn't thick enough for Unova, but it wasn't normal enough for Kanto…
"It's your brother, supergenius," Paddy groaned. "Open the door."
Five locks clicked back, followed by a chain falling, and finally a very loud 'beep'. The door pushed itself away from the door; Paddy shoved it gently and walked inside. Aubrey's legs moved on their own; this boy could have stabbed her right then and there, and that would have been all she wrote.
"Paddy, what's that girl doing here? Are you taking in strays, now?"
Aubrey certainly did not look like a stray.
"Excuse Maggaly, she's a bit...toxic," Paddy searched for the words.
Aubrey tried to look at the entire space in one go but found herself overwhelmed. The shed had been converted into a livable space: the far right corner was a counter-top with a sink, burners, and a mini-fridge; desks lined the two longest walls, and one in particular had been bombarded with computer equipment the likes of which Aubrey had never encountered. The far right corner, on the other side of the room, had a staircase leading to a lower level.
"Oy! I'm talking to you!" The girl said again. Aubrey turned to the figure seated behind the computer gear. Large, black-framed glasses covered her bulbous black eyes. Her golden-brown locks fell in whatever order they chose, making Rory's ponytail look orderly in comparison. When the girl opened her mouth again, Aubrey noticed a gap in her front teeth and freckles on her cheeks.
"Does she do anything besodes stare all day, Pads?"
Paddy closed the door behind them, making sure not to catch Chikorita's leaf accidentally. "Aubrey, this is Maggaly, my lovely sister."
"Charmed, dearie!" Maggaly said. Aubrey still couldn't place the accent—
"She is a starer, ain't she," Maggaly went on. "Paddy, you choose the strangest girls."
"Maggaly lives with my grandparents in Almia," Paddy explained. His pained expression was comical, though Aubrey swallowed the incessant laughter. "She's down here for the break. Don't mind her, Aubrey. She's harmless."
"Aubrey? Pretty name for a gawking girl," Maggaly said. And then in a more serious tone, "She's not a cop, is she?"
"Not even close," Paddy put his bag on the other desk and removed his computer. Aubrey stood frozen, unsure of what she could and couldn't touch. "I found her with some of her friends snooping around the Pokemon Center."
Wait. Hadn't Paddy been the one snooping?
"I figured they were just some kids, but they ran into Kenneth and Gracie. You can imagine how that ended."
...Gracie?
"How did it, then?" Maggaly asked, craning her head back to watch her brother. "Do tell. Oh, how I love your adventures."
Why did that sound just the slightest bit sarcastic?
"Her friends got cornered, basically," Paddy explained. "Kenneth's guys sent out Shadow Pokemon, because…you know, he's Kenneth. One of her friends told Aubrey here to run for it with me, so...here we are."
"We just listen to random girls in Pokemon Centers, then?"
"Let me finish," Paddy held up a patient hand. "Get this. Aubrey's friend had a Snag Machine."
"...That's a plot twist."
"It gets better. Both of her friends knew what a Shadow Pokemon was."
"So when they told you to take Princess Gawk here, you obeyed like a lap dog. Sounds about par the course for you."
Paddy appeared unfazed by Maggaly's rudeness. Aubrey wondered, was that her being rude, or was that just the way people from Almia acted? Were they called 'Almians', for that matter?
"I didn't get our cover blown, in case you cared," Paddy continued. "Where's Lanette? It's kind of urgent."
"Where she always is," Maggaly said. She turned back to whatever she was working on, but not before looking Aubrey up and down like a store mannequin. "If you're taking your pet down with you, please don't make a mess of anything."
"Chikorita's actually mine," Aubrey began. "I found it on the—"
"I was speaking to Paddy."
Well, that conversation ended quickly. Paddy gave her his most apologetic stare—complete with pursed lips—and waved her toward him. Chikorita trotted behind as the two descended the short metal staircase, accompanying Aubrey's feet-first-into-ice-water sense of discovery with a soothing clip-clop of its childlike feet.
The cellar was only slightly bigger than the main room, and that didn't say much. There was space enough for two rooms: the main one she found herself in, and the one branching off of it. Aubrey stole a peek inside at the bunk beds, open suitcases, and almost hilariously-tiny bathroom inside.
"Lanette?" Paddy asked the seated figure seated toward the wall, typing furiously on two keyboards across three monitors. Aubrey caught herself 'gawking' again, but it was hard not to. Wasn't that kind of set-up only used in movies?
"She's in her own world," Paddy answered her silent question. He let go of her hand—the one Aubrey hadn't even noticed him take a second time—and went to Lanette. He prodded her small, chubby shoulder gently.
"I've almost got the upgrade done, Maggaly. If you're still hungry, go in the cabinet."
"It's me," Paddy said. Like lightning, Lanette stood up, threw down the goggles that Aubrey hadn't noticed before, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously. Paddy rocked back and forth as Lanette worked his bony hand like a lumberjack.
"Great work, Paddy! I knew I could count on you," she said. Lanette turned to Aubrey—because in a space this confined, 'hiding' was impossible—and nodded her head gently. "Find a new recruit out in the cold?
"Come over here, what are you afraid of?"
Aubrey hopped to attention, hustling to close the distance between them. Though Lanette looked to be no older than Marie, her smile was warm like a fire on a cold night. Aubrey felt relieved instantly, though she knew she still had no reason to be.
"I-I'm Aubrey," she said. And when nothing came to fill the silence, she added, "That's not my Chikorita, because I'm not a Trainer. I just found it..."
"It?" Lanette asked, almost accusingly. "You don't know if it's a boy or a girl?"
Aubrey struggled to be more polite than usual. She was in a stranger's home, after all. "I never looked. It isn't mine..."
"Got that part the first time," Lanette said. It was curious; had Rory or Marie said the same thing, it would have been judgmental. Had Maggaly upstairs said it, it probably just would have been business as usual. But when it came from Lanette, it was nothing judgmental in the least. She was simply gathering information.
It was the kind of laid-back demeanor that Aubrey could trust.
It reminded her of her mother.
"Better question, Aubrey," Lanette continued. "Why are you here?"
How was she supposed to answer that? She started slowly. "My friend—"
"Wrong answer," Lanette corrected instantly.
"I don't understand." It was the truth.
Lanette folded her arms as she entered a very motherly 'lecture' mode. "If you're going to be one of us, you have to commit. You can't be here just to be here. The five of us—well, three right now—are in this until the end. If you're not, then I'm sorry, honey, but you'll have to see the door."
"Lanette—"
"Them's the breaks, Paddy," Lanette continued. "And really, did I say anything wrong?"
Paddy bit his tongue and shoved his hands in his pockets. He went from seeming bold and brave to appearing like a young boy. Or more aptly, the young boy he actually was. It told Aubrey something dangerous: there was actually something going on besides what she'd just gotten out of. Or perhaps the two were intertwined. Or maybe they were the same thing. She couldn't be sure.
But Marie had sent her here. Marie had told her to stay with Paddy. And it wasn't like Aubrey exactly had a problem with that.
She opened her mouth to ask the question that changed her fate—
Her stomach spoke first, rumbling like the mightiest earthquake. She felt a flow of blood rush to her face as Paddy smiled and bit his lip at her. Good god, did he have to do that lip-bitey thing?
"Someone's hungry," Lanette said cheerily.
"I haven't eaten today, ma'am."
"None of that 'ma'am' business! It's just Lanette."
"Lanette, I have a question—"
Lanette nudged Paddy toward the staircase, overpowering Aubrey's small words. "Paddy, get her a sandwich or something. Her stomach's gonna start chewing at itself!
"I'm sorry, hon," Lanette continued as Paddy obeyed orders silently. "What was it you wanted to ask?"
"I…I just…"
Aubrey shifted gears at the last second. No 'Marie' questions. What did Aubrey herself want to know?
"What do you really do here?"
A pause…but not the awkward kind.
The welcoming kind.
Lanette put her hands on her waist as her eyes lit up like beacons into the night.
"Sit down, Aubrey. This might take a minute."