- N - = Nicky's part
- J - = my part
Chapter 019 - Don't judge a book by its cover
- N -
This time, Rodent did nothing to hide his unabashed glee at being praised. He squirmed in contentment as Amy planted a kiss on his head, his muzzle turning pinkish.
Brown held him in her arms, rolling her eyes at the spectacle – stripped off his machismo, Rodent was quite the softie. At the very least, he was the greatest attention whore she'd ever met (save for Ruby back in Hoenn).
She did, however, chuckle as Amy mentioned Emerald's multitude of strategies. "I know," She laughed. "Back with Crystal, he kept trying to teach me ways to overcome Rodent's weakness and stuff – he had so so so many different strategies, I can't remember a one! Well, save for the Focus-Endeavour-Attack-Rat thing… it had a fun acronym. I love acronyms,"
"Rarrcate," Rodent shrugged.
"Well, Rodent remembers a lot of things Rald taught us that I forgot – he's always full of surprises, arenchoo?" She cooed, eliciting a fit of giggles from her Raticate.
Amy was blushing, perhaps slightly uncomfortable with all the attention her dress was receiving. Riley himself seemed absolutely enamoured to stare at her bare shoulders. Brown pulled a face – while Riley was trying his honest best to be subtle with his feelings, it was clear enough to the teenager that his affections for her new sensei were as subtle as a two-by-four plank to the head.
Arceus knew she'd been hit by enough planks to know.
Without a word, she grabbed the jacket from the older trainer's hand, a cheeky expression on her face. It was a little small on her, and pinched around the shoulders a little, but fit her more-or-less snugly.
"I'll take that," She winked. "If you want to keep warm, just ask Riley for help."
It was only moments later, as she was walking out the entrance with Rodent perched on Amy's jacket's shoulders, before Stephanie realised she'd acted exactly like Gold.
Riley seemed slightly perturbed at the new development, his mouth was open in a perfect imitation of an antique nutcracker. Laelaps barked with obvious amusement on his face as the group wound their way out of the tunnels.
He held his own jacket in his hand, still slightly too warm for him to put it back on. He wondered whether it was a good idea to give it to Amethyst – surely she'd want to cover up… no. Not unless she needed it.
He didn't want to scare her with an overly-romantic gesture; wearing each other's clothes was, after all, something only couples did.
"I must admit that I've had fun training with you, Ms. Brown. Passing my knowledge to an apprentice is very pleasant!"
Well, I had lots of fun, too," Brown's shoulders shook with laughter under Amy's jacket. "I can't thank you enough – I feel really really really ready for Roark!"
In the light of the sun, her arms rose to automatically shield her eyes. Amy read the clock carefully: 12:30 in the afternoon.
"It's funny when you think about it," She added, "Yesterday, right now, we'd be complete strangers, and now, you're practically my sensei!"
Laelaps' tongue lolled out his mouth with blatant pleasure as Amy reached for his head. It was obfuscating, Riley knew – Laelaps was nobody's lapdog, but he was certainly being nice to Amethyst. Whatever for, however, Riley wasn't too sure.
The Lucario shot him a glare. Your turn, Laelaps muttered. Be nice to her.
Riley stared, his mouth still slightly agape.
"Ah," He began, then stopped himself when he realised he wasn't coherent. "Right. Uh… A chocolate shake, right? That sounds lovely – yes, lovely. I'll pay for it."
"You're quite the Uncle Moneybags, aren't you, Mister Riley?" Brown laughed, her sand-blonde hair tumbling in the collar of the jacket as she did. She wiggled happily, enjoying the brush of her hair on the nape of her neck.
True enough, it seemed Riley had an unexhausted supply of money from a magic well down under the earth. As he lead them to the desert shop they'd lunched at the afternoon before and tipped the waiter for good seats, Brown began to suspect Riley kept a stash of leprechauns (or Meowths, there really wasn't much difference) in servitude to him in an obscure squalor-filed basement somewhere.
"To answer your question," Riley's turned to face her, his voice maintained in a low 'between-you-and-me' whisper. His eyes gleamed blue, no doubt he'd noticed her chain of thought. "I'm by no means Steven Stone, but I do own a sizeable island off the coast of Canalave and stakes in the ferry industry to it.
"But that's barely any revenue compared to the debentures I have in Oreburgh's coal mining industry – by extension, the owners of the mine have been living in modest wealth for the last three generations, too,"
Brown hadn't let much of that sink in, until he mentioned the mine's owners…
"Wait. Do you mean to say Roark's… rich?"
Riley smiled as he took his seat across the table from her: "Quite possibly the most financially-assured man in Oreburgh, Miss Brown. He just doesn't make a show of it quite like I do."
"Serena's totally after his cash," Brown nursed a smile. Rodent crawled into the booth next to her.
"That's a possibility," Riley laughed. The seat next to him, like the day before, went untaken for Amethyst. "But, if you want my opinion, I think Serena sees in him something else we're both missing."
"Besides the obvious?"
"And what would that be?"
"Come on – pretty-boy good looks, good taste in glasses, abs you could grate cheese off…"
Riley burst out laughing, a noise that sounded like the rustling of ancient pages along with mirth.
"Maybe. But I'm quite sure Serena's not one to bother with… superficial… attractions – she strikes me as the sort of person who spends a lot of time searching for the person you are inside."
He stayed that way, a serenely cryptic expression on his face as Brown contemplated the information she'd been served with. Above all, how the island… Iron Island… belonged to Riley. Well, considering how he'd met Amy, that wasn't too much of a surprise. She wondered if Amy knew, if he'd shared this with her.
"Raticate!"
She didn't stop to think much longer – instead opting to bury her face in the waffle that had landed on the table in front of her. She ate faster and messier than Rodent himself, which was considerable.
"Thith is buh besfth mmwwaffle I ever had!"
Riley kept his fingers intertwined, elbows-on-table, in their velvet gloves. His jacket was folded neatly across his lap, but was moved to the seat as he stood up for Amethyst.
"Not too cold?" He asked, offering to help her into the booth. "I could always ask Miss Brown to give that back to you, you know-hey!"
A tiny blue flint of Aura had been flicked at him by his Lucario, an annoyed expression marring Laelaps' face. Not her jacket! He growled, offer yours!
- J -
Stephanie looked pretty good in Amethyst's jacket, she noticed. Maybe it wasn't the teen's style, but since she had a better body, she looked decent.
"You're pretty cute in that, Ms. Brown." Amethyst said, nodding.
Her expression completely changed when Stephanie winked and said, in a totally Gold-ish tone:
"I'll take that. If you want to keep warm, just ask Riley for help."
Did she know? Amethyst thought, blushing. But how? She had been keeping the distance... and yet, Stephanie had noticed. Was it SO obvious?
The purple-eyed trainer's blush didn't disappear for a long time. She felt comfortable without the jacket, truth to be told. Specially in those mines. There was sure hot there...
Even when they were outside the mines, Amethyst didn't miss her jacket. The fresh air around her thin arms felt so good... However, she wondered whether Stephanie felt hot with two jackets.
...Well, the blondie certainly didn't.
"It's funny when you think about it. Yesterday, right now, we'd be complete strangers, and now, you're practically my sensei!"
"That's right." Amethyst nodded. "Come to think of it, I only came to Oreburgh to have a look at the Miner's Dance. I would have never imagined I would meet a girl like you! And..."
The chestnut-head gave Riley a glance. Definitely, seeing him again was the best it could have happened to her. Too bad her pride was too huge to let her show her emotions.
"...Right. Uh… A chocolate shake, right? That sounds lovely – yes, lovely. I'll pay for it."
Amethyst couldn't stop noticing something... odd on Riley's tone. As if he was... absent? Or something like that.
"No, no." Amethyst denied. "I said we could buy a chocolate shake for Laelaps since he loves chocolate. But for ME, I'd like a lemonade."
The small woman observed Stephanie and Riley as they talked about Riley's money.
Nothing about the conversation was new for her, anyway.
"Definitely," Amethyst thought. "Ms. Brown has no qualms, she practically talks about everything... and with a stranger like Riley!"
Definitely, an interesting girl. Maybe she was a bit brute, or even somewhat tomboy-ish, but a girl after all. What Amethyst missed was a proper 'girls talk', and she trusted the teen enough for that...
Her surprise was huge when, as soon as they entered the café, Stephanie and Riley started gossipping about Roark and Serena's relationship. Just, what the...? She would have definitely seen that coming from the blondie, but...
"I think it's cute." Amethyst suddenly said when Riley stopped talking about Serena.
The purple-eyed woman blushed as her companions turned their heads to look at her when she said that.
"I-I mean..." Amethyst stuttered, placing her eyes on her lemonade. "I know which type of woman Serena is... I know it well... And I can tell she feels something for Roark, she just doesn't want to show it. A woman like that can't be superficial, that's for sure."
A silly smile crossed Amethyst's face as she looked up again.
"I just think it's a cute relationship." She said. "Love in general is..."
Well, Stephanie might like gossipping, but she wasn't a fanatic, after all, Amethyst could notice when the teen got tired of the conversation and started to eat as crazy. If Brown had been Pink, she'd have been gossipping for hours!
"This lemonade tastes good, too." Amethyst said, grinning. "It's so cold! Just what I needed!"
Then, Riley stood up, with what appeared to be an intention to say something to Amethyst. The woman stared at him as she took a sip of her lemonade.
"Not too cold? I could always ask Miss Brown to give that back to you, you know-hey!"
"Eh? No." Amethyst denied, politely. "I'm perfectly fine like this! And it's midday, anyway, there's no way I can get cold now."
"There's no need to worry so much, Riley." She added, smiling at the blue-haired man.
Maybe that was the reason why Stephanie had noticed Amethyst's infatuation: while Amethyst was quite an expresionless person, her glances and smiles were totally different when she was talking to someone she cared about.
Specially if it was the man of her life.
"However, you didn't reply to my previous question." Amethyst said, remembering how Riley had been distracted a few minutes ago. "After these drinks, I'd planned to go shopping some items for Ms. Brown, and after that we could have lunch."
"Will we have lunch at Roark's or do you have anything planned? I mean, I'd feel bad for Serena if she has to cook a lot again, but yet I don't want you to spend so much money..."
- N -
"I think it's cute."
Brown's head snapped to attention, regarding Amy like she'd grown a second nose from out between her eyes. Riley, too, had stopped talking, and was watching the woman with fresh interest.
"I-I mean..." I know which type of woman Serena is... I know it well... And I can tell she feels something for Roark, she just doesn't want to show it. A woman like that can't be superficial, that's for sure."
Riley nodded. "Exactly my point," He agreed. "Love's an amazing thing,"
"I just think it's a cute relationship. Love in general is..."
What? Riley wondered. What was love to Amethyst?
Stephanie Brown snorted. "You're one to talk, Mr Riley; considering the fact that you haven't done anything about your own love problems."
Riley's expression looked like a cross between drowning, choking, and dull surprise. "Whatever do you mean, Miss Brown?"
"Come on," Stephanie lowered her voice to spare Amethyst from what she said next: "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid… wait. That didn't make much sense, did it?" She paused, then shook her head. "Anyway, your feelings for Amy are about as subtle as a brick to the face, Mr Riley.
"Pardon me for being nosey, but can't you just tell her how you feel?" She finally concluded, with a slight amount of effort.
Riley looked at her, his face devoid of anything that would remotely suggest happiness. "It's… complicated, Miss Brown, you wouldn't understand."
"Oh, really?" Brown crossed her arms. "And what wouldn't I understand? I'm sixteen, Mr Riley – and for the last four years of my life, I have been living with couple after couple in Professor Oak's pathetic little bid to protect me. I've spent mornings serving tea for Silver and Blue; I was the one who faked a valentine for Crystal so she thought Gold sent it; hell, I was even there when Ruby went down on one knee for Sapphire! There is nothing about your relationship with Miss Amethyst that I'm not entirely familiar with."
For the first time since she met the blue-haired man, Riley looked uncomfortable.
"You saved Amy's life when she was younger, she liked you and you weren't ready, am I right? And now, you totally want her, but you're too scared to ask, aren't you? You think she's moved on and now you're the one pining for her purple panties?"
The idea of Riley lusting after a pair of knickers was beyond comical, but Brown kept her face at a level expression of severity. All pretence of joviality had fled her eyes. Even Rodent shied away from his trainer, unused to Brown being so serious.
"Let me tell you one thing, Mr Riley, and I won't repeat myself: If you think you're the only one in this relationship carrying the proverbial torch, think again. Miss Amy wants you as much as you do – you can see it in her eyes, the way they kind of light up when she'd talking about you, the funny smile she has when she looks at you… She still loves you.
"But, Mr Riley, if you keep hemming and hawing and acting like nothing at all happened on that little peewee playhouse you call Iron Island, I weep for the day Miss Amy moves on for better men than you."
She ended, crossing her arms across her chest. The material of Amy's jacket strained as it stretched across her larger body. Rodent kept his ears plastered against his head, in fear or surprise, it was hard to tell. Brown had raised her voice as her tirade had gone on – probably not loud enough for anyone to overhear, but loud enough for both men at the table to look very, very uncomfortable indeed.
Riley looked away, but Laelaps wouldn't be a source of comfort now – the Lucario nodded to the blonde girl and displayed, for the first time, a vague semblance of respect for Stephanie Brown, before turning into red light and returning into his ball.
"…And that's how I was banned from Professor Elm's lab! Hoo boy, who knew all it takes are three angry pokemon to raze a whole building to the ground? Am I right? C'mon, I'm totes right? Right?" Brown's voice returned to it usual chipper tone as she looked back at Amethyst, seeming, for all the world, like she'd been talking about Professor Elm for the entirety for that dangerous, whispered conversation.
"After these drinks, I'd planned to go shopping some items for Ms. Brown, and after that we could have lunch. Will we have lunch at Roark's or do you have anything planned? I mean, I'd feel bad for Serena if she has to cook a lot again, but yet I don't want you to spend so much money..."
Finally glad to have a distraction, Riley jumped on the chance to have a conversation with Amy that didn't involve latent sexual tension in any form.
"I didn't ask Serena to cook for us, truth be told," He began to notice, just as Brown had said before, the way Amy smiled just ever-so-slightly differently around him. A gentle smile worked it way into his features. "She seemed tired enough after breakfast, and I think she was attempting to fix her dress for the Miner's Dance today, among her… other obligations…"
…Obligations like wondering how to hide her Zoroark friend for the full moon when the Mine would be used for the dance.
"We'll have lunch at the plaza," He offered. "Money is no object, I'm sure Miss Brown and her Raticate would enjoy a nice three-course meal at a good restaurant after that battle this morning."
Brown beamed at the thought of going shopping. "Oh yes! And it's been weeks since I've seen an actual mall!" Her smile was wide as she gathered her things to get ready to leave. "This is going to be so so so awesome!"
Likewise, Riley arranged his dishes on the table neatly before gathering his things to leave, offering Amethyst his hand to help her out of the booth as he did. He cast a glance at the blonde trainer, who was in the process of allowing her Raticate to scamper up her arm.
Riley stared, the moment becoming a pregnant pause as he composed his words.
Eventually, he murmured a weary but elated "Thank you," into her ear as they walked out of the dessert shop and into the afternoon beyond.
A few minutes later…
The shopping plaza at Oreburgh was by no means the size of Vielstone's department store. The two-storey glass complex contained a modest PokeMart, the occasional clothes shop, but enough restaurants to feed a small army of miners.
And feed the miners they did! The miners were there in spades – a collection of hardhats, yellow-and-black stripes, and, of course, spades. They mulled about the central fountain, lolled on alfresco chairs outside cafes, and wolf-whistled at the two young women as they walked past.
Riley instinctively stepped between Amethyst and a muscled miner who had wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Something tells me it's not going to be really hard to find a date around these parts," Brown chewed her lip happily. "Look at that guy."
She jabbed her finger into the air, in the direction of a svelte pale blonde miner, his open shirt displaying an impressive set of washboard abs.
"Or that guy," A tanned and barechested miner lay shirtless, the sweat on his impressive muscles sparkling like Edward-Cullen-Skin in the sunlight.
"Or that guy," A miner with delightfully chique sunglasses perched atop his hardhat.
"Or that guy," A miner with pink hair. Ridiculously pink hair…
"Get your grubby little finger out of my face, Blondie," Serena Joy snarled. Her hair had been tied back into the two loops Joys usually kept them in, what little remained of it was hidden under a large red hardhat that was (judging from its size) probably Roark's.
"Serena?" Riley moved between both girls, to prevent the off-chance of one pecking the other's eyes out. "What are you doing here?"
The Joy lifted a garment bag for them to see, a hanger and what looked like a grey dress peeking out from the beneath. "It's my dress. I need to get this thing fitted – it's a little too complicated for me to fix on my own."
"Methinks," Brown smiled, "Someone can't sew as well as she cooks~"
"Bite your tongue! I can sew perfectly fine."
Unable to think of a better insult, Brown settled for sticking out her tongue at the Joy, a gesture her Raticate imitated.
Serena rolled her eyes, visible distaste in her face.
"Why are you dressed like that, anyway?" Riley arched a brow, taking in her pinned hair. With her generic pink loopy pigtails, she looked nearly indistinguishable from a Pokemon Center nurse. "I didn't think you'd be the kind to tie up your hair."
"We all tie up our hair when we go out," Serena muttered grudgingly, "but I make it a point to try not to on occasion."
"And the hardhat?"
"I'm trying not to stand out. At least, not during the miner's lunch hour. Do you really want to be hit on by these guys?" She gestured vaguely to the small legion of red-hatted miners around the mall, to which Brown nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, most of them are jerks," She muttered, before remembering Roark. "Well, maybe not all of them," She bit her lip.
"You'd better dress a little more conservatively, Amethyst," Serena turned to the purple-eyes trainer, gesturing to her bare shoulders. Her voice, usually so acidic, was filled with concern. "These guys on their lunch break are notorious flirts."
Riley looked somewhat perturbed at this revelation, but stood still regardless. However, a haughty cat-call from the fountain was more than enough encouragement for him to shake his jacket off and hang it, with protective force, over Amethyst. He darted a hostile glance at the flirtatious miner.
"Let's… start walking," He muttered in her ears, a feral male territorialism still clinging on to his voice. "Try to find the shop you need first, Amethyst."
Serena stared at the gesture.
"Did something happen?" She looked from the colbalt-haired man to the quite possibly stunned young woman who had just received his coat. "Between the two of you, I mean?"
"We almost died in the mines," Brown smiled cheerily. "Riley and Amy got some waifu time together,"
"Really?" Serena looked intrigued. "What happened?"