- N - = Nicky's part
- J - = my part
Chapter 024 - Confessions!
- N -
Brown watched Morganite (whom she now vowed to refer to purely as 'Morgan', or 'Momo' on good days, and 'Girl Power Girl' on better ones. Gold would've been proud) vanish into the afternoon mall crowd, before checking her watch. It was getting late, nearly one, but just like her, her Pokegear ran a little faster than most.
"What a strange person, eh, Rodent?" She asked her Raticate, who had now started to gnaw happily on the metal bar. "Quit that – you're gonna make yourself sick."
"Raaariticate!" Rodent cross his tiny arms and pouted.
"C'mon, you can ride on my shoulders again," She gave him her arm to climb up, which he gratefully did. "You're hungry, huh?"
"Raarrrriririr." Rodent nodded.
"C'mon, let's find that Mr Moneybags, and make him pay for lunch."
"Raticate!"
She tried to remember what she'd learnt from that little conversation with Morgan. Like… Riley. Amy liked Riley, that was obvious enough, and it seemed that Riley liked Amy back. So, why weren't they married?
Wasn't Amy supposed to be Pink's age? Pink was married. And Sapphire, who was even younger than both of them, was probably enjoying her honeymoon with Ruby right now. Didn't Amy want to be with Riley?
She remembered Gold and Crystal, who were both well into their twenties, loved each other, but didn't want to do anything about it. It bothered her greatly. It felt like an itch that neither Gold nor Crystal wanted to scratch – and it drove Brown crazy every time she saw the both of them… just… talking… and not doing anything.
"I mean, if you love someone, you gotta show her you love her, right?" She complained to Rodent, who merely shrugged. "Buy her flowers and stuff, take her out to romantic restaurants and kiss her! That's how love works, right?"
"Catetirar," Rodent muttered.
'It's not that simple,' Gold that told her once, after a dinner with Crystal that constituted of pizza, breadsticks and spilling the mash potatoes on her shirt. 'Dating… Dating's a commitment, and, yeah, I like her, but… We can't do it yet.'
'Because you're scared?'
'Hey!' Gold grunted. 'I am many things, but I am so not scared. No… it's something else. We like things the way they are now – and we don't know what's going to happen to both of us if we get any closer. Things'll be different, and I don't know whether we're going to like the differences. Crystal will have to start living with us and stuff, and…'
'…And she gets to sleep in your bed!'
'Right-hey! Who told you that?'
Gold's voice disappeared as the chatter of miners grew in volume. The men had started putting their hardhats back on, gathering their shovels and pickaxes and amassing into a great big sea of red hats. Their lunch break over, the miners were going back to work.
Brown chewed her lip, wondering whether she should ask one to the Dance quickly before they all left, but shook her head, and carried on.
Eventually, her feet brought her to a tiny, old-fashioned tailor shop. The signboard showed a Mime Jr. juggling a ball of yarn, scissors, and several spools over its head. Under the little clown's feet were the faded letters: TAILOR SHOP.
Well, she had to give them credit, at least they were direct.
"Riley?" She cracked open the door to peer inside. "You in there?"
"STEPHANIE! DON'T COME IN!"
She squeaked out loud as Riley turned about to face her – in his boxers. A greying old Mr Mime, who was rolling the end of a measuring tape by his upturned armpit jumped with the sound.
"MRMIME!"
"RAARTICATE!" Rodent bristled and dug his frightened claws into Brown's scalp, sending her sprawling back… and into what seemed like an invisible little platform a foot off the ground.
The aged Mr Mime dusted its fingers with satisfaction at its handwork. "Mime," It muttered, before ignoring the disturbance and going back to work with the measuring tape. This time around Riley's waist.
"Whoah…" Brown whistled.
"What?"
"I could grate cheese off your abs," She smiled, her nose turning red as a tiny perverted smile graced her face. "Uh… I mean. Uh. Why aren't you wearing anything?"
"He's got an interesting body type," An old man emerged from the back of the shop, with a notebook that the Mr Mime quickly took to write in. "He can't fit in any of my suits, I have to custom-fit,"
"Oh,"
Riley simply sighed. "Stephanie, this is a little… embarrassing… I didn't think you'd finish so quickly."
"Oh," She said. "Uh… Well, I wanted to ask you something, but… uh… should I go?"
"No, no, I guess we could talk." He shrugged off the Mr Mime's attempts to measure his shoulders and quickly pulled his dark sweater over himself. Stephanie waited quietly and glanced about the store.
It seemed dangerously old – the wallpaper wasn't just peeling in places – it was being blistered by sheer age and flaking like dandruff at the corners. A rickety old aluminium fan sprayed cool air about the shop, just barely bigger than a bedroom yet stuffed to nigh-bursting with clothes racks and mannequins. A sturdy but aging wooden desk denoted a cashier counter and a workspace all in one, with an old-fashioned cash register perched precariously at the edge. There were no chairs – the Mr Mime probably took care of that for the customers anyway.
Still, the clothes in the window and on the shelves were brand new. Some even looked delightfully modern.
"You come here often?" She asked Riley, and got a passive grunt in reply, the poor man still struggling with his trousers.
"Riley's a regular – he comes by at every time he stops in Oreburgh," The tailor replied proudly. "I do most of his suits."
"I can see why," Brown smiled. There was a charming sense of nostalgia about the shop – as if it could've existed in a fairytale, where knights like Sir Aaron himself roamed and romanced.
"You must be Amethyst," The man smiled. It wasn't a nasty smile, but it seemed like he knew something. "Riley speaks highly of you – he's mentioned you pretty longingly once or twice. Something about having the most amazing purple eyes and… brown hair…? Uh… Forgive me, Amethyst, but… I thought you'd be a brunette…?"
"She is," Riley said, finally doing up his fly. "This is Stephanie Brown. From 'The Brown Effect'. You know the book?"
"Ohhh."
"Yeah," Brown bit her lip. "Sorry, I'm not Amy."
She felt slightly embarrassed, like she'd stuck her foot in something she really shouldn't have.
"Well, now that you're here," Riley sighed, a little tired, resting himself on yet another platform of thin air as the Mr Mime handed him a cup of tea and blew its tongue at Brown. "You wanted to ask me something?"
"Well, yeah," Brown played with her hands, tugging at a band-aid that had started to slip off her finger.
"Riley…? Should I ask a miner out like Morganite did? I don't wanna go to Dance alone. It'd be sad. But I still don't want to dance with someone who I know doesn't love me."
Riley looked at her – she never noticed how scarily deep his eyes were. They looked like little holes through which she could see the deep end of the ocean. She gulped.
"Stephanie, don't do it." He answered. "The Dance, well, the Dance is important. Every person who joins in the First Dance does it out of pure love, and it's a show of commitment and the power of love to look past…" He looked away, thinking of something she wasn't sure of, "to look past flaws and forgive."
It seemed like ten seconds, but could've been ten minutes, before Riley looked up back at her.
"Morganite, well, I feel she's got an Aura that won't let a man in just yet. But I've been going to the Dance every year, and I never ever join in the First Dance. I'm saving that dance for my true love, and I couldn't find her there. This year, though… this year's different…
"I'm only dancing in the First Dance this year because I know who I want to Dance with, who I want to spend the rest of the night with, my life, holding in my arms and telling her I love her and-" He paused, "I'm sorry, this might be beyond you," He scratched the back of his head, apprehensive.
"No, no," Brown shook her head vehemently. "this is interesting."
"Well," Riley laughed. "well, I guess what I meant to say was that if you're supposed to meet your true love at the Dance, it's probably for the best that you didn't play about with fate. Your true love'll come some day, but if you can't find him tonight, don't be disheartened. Just let it come to you when it does."
Stephanie nodded slowly, a tiny smile on her face.
"Thanks." She added. "Oh, you better get your measurements done up first – I'll wait outside with Rodent."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Well, Dexholders are those who own a pokédex. Of course, to own a pokédex you have to gain first some famous Professor's acknowledgment. You know, Prof. Birch for Hoenn, Prof. Oak for Kanto, Prof. Rowan for Sinnoh and Prof. Elm for Johto. If they acknowledge your skills and trust you, they'll give you a pokédex."
Serena nodded, as Amy began to explain the dexholders to her. So… beating gym leaders would get you a pokedex? She wondered how the group worked – did they have their own headquarters, club memberships? It seemed like quite a big deal for Amy to be part of them.
She stopped thinking, however, when the young woman mentioned fighting Kyogre and Groudon.
"No way," She gasped. "You were there? That's… incredible. What was it like? Were they big up close? Was it true that Rayquaza was there too?"
She held herself back, though, and leaned back in her chair. She didn't want to scare the small woman. Instead she focused on the music: The band was definitely playing a song she was supposed to know, but still couldn't recognise. It bothered her slightly.
"I've always been... independent. Quite independent, I'd say! I've always wanted to do things my way, and the few people that have trully cared about me respect that."
Serena smiled longingly. "I could use some of that," She added. "No rules, no one to tell you what to do… that sounds divine. You're lucky, you know, Amy, having an understanding family like that. I'd give anything to be like you – strong pokemon so you don't have to rely on anyone, people who understand what you want in life, and nothing but you and the open road…"
Her voice droned of as she tried to imagine life without… well, without anyone. Sure, getting away from her parents for good would be a relief, and sometimes her cousins could get on her nerves, but still… she couldn't imagine life away from Roark's apartment.
"I guess I'd be a little scared to go out on my own, too." Serena laughed. "It might sound silly to you, but…" She bit her lip, an embarrassed smile curling at the corners. "I've only known Roark for less than a year, but I can't imagine going out into the world without him."
As the waiter came up to them, Serena asked for the Borsch and a steak. "I'll take the Borch here. Keep the steak to go; I'll pick it up later."
"Roark probably forgot to eat lunch again," She explained. "If bringing that idiot his food's the only way he'll eat, I'll do it."
"I'm glad we're having this conversation. t's being very... mmh, mind-opener? And I've got to know more about you, which really helped me to understand you better."
Serena laughed. "Well, thanks. The same for you, too, I guess. I never knew what an interesting life you must lead, Amy. Seeing exotic places, finding legendaries. It must be like a holiday, huh?"
"I'll admit... that I should have more temper, like you. But, leaving that aside, we're quite similar! I'm always too serious and always want to do things right... Not to mention we also tend to hide our feelings! Yes, Serena, by observing you and realizing we're not very different, I've come to that conclusion."
"You think so?" Serena smiled, amused. "I don't know, I like you as you are now – hell, I'd never have the patience to put up with someone like Blondie for a whole morning, but you did. Being calm's a good thing. It's probably the reason why I like Roark so much," She giggled softly before hiccupping, "He's just… gentle. I mean even when he's not supposed to be, he is." She remembered the first time she'd seen him like that, all fur and teeth and that large red mane… he didn't even growl at her. "I mean, most people'd expect him to do something horrible but… but he spends most of the time just… watching you. It's quite calming, really."
It occurred to her that she was talking about a side of Roark that she really shouldn't ever discuss in public. Quickly, she shut her lips.
"So…" She muttered. "You might be right – I really don't like talking about how I feel out loud." She laughed as Amy admitted how she always wanted things done right. "And you're spot-on there: I can't stand a mess, which is weird, seeing that spend most of my time cleaning up after rock pokemon!"
She raised her glass, clinking it against Amy's.
"Cheers – to not being very different."
"I don't know why I'm so open today, I guess you're just an easy person to talk to, Amy." She smiled. "You're good at listening and you don't seem to judge – which helps. I've never seen anyone so patient! I'd die if I had to babysit Blondie for a whole morning like you did today!"
Still, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't tell Amy everything. Serene sighed – it really would be good to have Amy on board as a fellow secret-keeper. She seemed trustworthy enough.
"Amy, can I trust you with a secret? About Roark? He's…"
She shut her mouth. She couldn't say it – not when Roark's freedom was at stake – not when he trusted her.
"I, uh, well I like him." She squeezed her face tightly. It was no less true, but a little less sensational. "You… probably noticed before, haven't you?"
- J -
Roark was passing by the tailor shop. He was notoriously tired and upset. His Rampardos walked by him just in case he'd fall off. His small adventure saving Riley and Amethyst from the cavern along with the hard work at the mined had screwed him up badly.
"Rrrramp!" Rampardos exclaimed, suddenly.
"Mmh?" Roark grunted, looking up.
A familiar-looking blonde girl had just got off the tailor shop. Accompanied by a Raticate...
"Uuh... Stephanie?" Roark asked, approaching the girl. "What are you doing here... alone?"
He corrected himself after hearing a growl from Rodent adressed at him.
"Okay, you're not alone, you're with Rodent." Roark said, rubbing his head; his hard hat was being held by his left hand. "But what are you two doing here? Are you already going to get a dress? And how come you're not with Amethyst?"
The ginger sat on a bench near Stephanie, totally exhausted. Seeing that Rampardos wouldn't stop growling at the teenager, he made him get back into his pokéball. But why would he act like that when yesterday had been totally normal? Oh, well.
"I know the other miners are getting back to work, I know." Roark sighed reluctantly. "You see, since I went to help Riley and your friend earlier, I was totally delayed for the project we were working on... Hence, I had to work MORE. Sigh..."
Roark was doing nothing to hide his annoyance. He stretched on the bench, swiping the sweat ouf of his forehead with his right hand. His t-shirt, totally sweaty, was adhered to his abs, completely showing all his masculine forms.
"I just finished my part of the work." Roark added. "I haven't even eaten yet! Pfft, but eating alone is going to be so boring... Meh."
Screwed up wasn't enough to describe his status. Always used to finish his work in time, that setback was being a pain in the neck. He was Roark, and he HAD to be perfect, dammit!
"Mmh, now that I think of it," The miner said, looking at Stephanie. "have you guys eaten yet? I could go with you and whoever you are with, if you don't mind."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Amethyst had patiently explained to Serena some aspects about the old battle against Kyogre and Groudon... and Rayquaza. It was kind of tough for her, but oh well - the Joy was definitely the most interested person in legendary pokémon! Amethyst realized, amused, that it was a quality of all the previous leaders of evil teams.
"...No rules, no one to tell you what to do… that sounds divine. You're lucky, you know, Amy, having an understanding family like that."
Hearing that made Amethyst bit her lip. She didn't want to explain that her parents were dead, but she didn't want to lie to Serena either... Then again, Amethyst had a family, Emerald, and he was indeed quite respectful with all her choices. Amethyst nodded, smiling, relieved because it wasn't totally a lie.
"Well, I don't really know how it feels." Amethyst admitted when Serena mentioned that she couldn't imagine a life without Roark. "I've been always travelling so, even if I developed some bonds with certain people in the past, I had to break them because... well, because travelling's my passion."
"But maybe it's time to settle down..." The purple-eyed woman added, in a lower tone. "Like... getting a boyfriend or something? I mean," She raised her voice. "my best friend, who is my age, is already married. I must admit that... sometimes... I feel jealous."
Amethyst lowered her head and giggled stupidly, realized that she was saying dumb things. Neverthless, the pink-haired woman seemed to like her, which was another great hit for Amethyst. She giggled when Serena started to talk about Roark again. The way her eyes shone when she talked about him was so familiar to Amethyst...
"...I mean, most people'd expect him to do something horrible but… but he spends most of the time just… watching you. It's quite calming, really."
Amethyst flickered, somewhat surprised. Roark? Something horrible? Watching you? Was she talking about the serious, reliable Roark? Or maybe the alcohol was getting to her head and Serena had stopped talking about Roark without Amethyst noticing it? Oh well, just in case, the best would be to ignore that line and keep conversing.
"Cheers – to not being very different."
"Yeah." Was all Amethyst could say since she wasn't used to such things.
She drank all the remaining wine in her glass. It was too late when she realized it. A waiter hastened to fill her glass with more wine. Amethyst was still processing what she'd just done and couldn't do anything to stop him.
"Oh, well." The chestnut-head said, looking at the glass. "Remind me to keep drinking water after this glass of wine, please."
Amethyst kept listening to Serena, who was now complimenting her for her patience. Well, that was one of Amethyst's biggest virtues, truth be told. But of course, she HAD to be patient, having a brother like Emerald.
"Well, don't forget that Riley was there to help me, hehe." Amethyst said, blushing. "It was funny, though, leaving aside the incident with the Onix, of course. But hey, Ms. Brown is a good apprentice, she learns fast. Even Riley said it!"
Suddenly...
"Amy, can I trust you with a secret? About Roark? He's…"
Amethyst flickered, her big, purple eyes totally opened. Roark is... what? "Gay" was the first word that appeared in Amethyst's mind, to be honest.
"I, uh, well I like him. You… probably noticed before, haven't you?"
There it was!
"Oh!" Amethyst exclaimed, flinching. "Oh! Oh, well. Mmh... well, yeah, maybe. Oh, who am I trying to fool! It was so obvious!"
The chestnut-head took another sip of wine.
"Well, at least to me." She added. "I already told you we're very similar when it comes to love, so your feelings were like an open book to me."
Amethyst nodded, trying not to embarrass Serena. Maybe she was being too... direct?
"The moment it became obvious was when you two danced last night." Amethyst said. "You were so cute looking at him! And he treats you very well, I'd say. That's why I say you two have an interesting relationship~"
Since when she was so talkative? Oh, yeah, since she had started to drink wine. She wondered if Serena would feel very embarrassed.
"I think you have a chance with him, honestly." Amethyst added. "I'm surprised he hasn't asked you out for the Dance yet! Or are you going to do it? Can women ask guys out too? Or only men?"
Amethyst facepalmed.
"My apologies." She said. "I'm not used to drink alcohol... But I'm not saying this to make youfeel uncomfortable, I really think you should confess your feelings to Roark. And as soon as possible, because... well, you'll be leaving at the end of the year, and you could regret it for the rest of your life if you don't confess."
Of course, confessing and getting heartbroken was also a possibility, just like it'd happened to Amethyst. But that wouldn't happen to Serena - she was certainly sure of it!
However, all that topic made Amethyst feel somewhat sad. There was also a man she loved... A man that treated her like a younger sister or even sometimes a daughter - or at least that's what seemed to Amethyst.
"Hey, Serena," The purple-eyed woman finally said. "you mentioned earlier that Riley likes me. What makes you think that? I mean, I find his actions more... brotherly-ish... then again, I have no idea about love, and... well... Maybe I'm just blinded by our past..."
Amethyst chewed her lip, her cheeks burning. A waiter served Amethyst's dish, but she didn't touch it yet. As soon as he left, she looked at Serena again.
"Okay, since you just confessed, now it's my turn..." She said. "I like... no, I love Riley, ever since we met... eight years ago... And, I..."
Her eyes started to get teary.
"And I know it's stupid!" She exclaimed. "Because he's like eight years older than me and because it's been too long, I know! But even though it's stupid I can't stop loving him! Even after these years travelling, I've never managed to forget him! And now I meet him again, and... and feel like I love him more than before! I'm so pathetic..."
Amethyst sighed, managing to pull her tears back. She didn't want to look weak in front of Serena. She tried a piece of her steak but, after realizing it was still too hot, left the fork on the plate again.