Dear Ma and Pa,
Things are pretty peachy over here in Twiligleam city. Well, mostly peachy. There's a lot going on. Flint and I have been butting heads for a while now. I've been training behind his tail. He'd fly off the handle if he knew, cuz I was all black and blue not too long ago. And before y'all ask, no, I haven't been fighting random folks. I dunno why Flint told y'all that the last time! Anyhoo, how are things at home? Bet it's real quiet without Flint or me there! Miss y'all!
A buncha love,
Mei-Mei
Meira hunches over her desk like a vengeful beast, kneading a cheek pouch with her paw as she writes. She hasn't written to her parents in a while, staving herself with Flint's company whenever she can. Two pots beside Meira house her root-like appendages as they wriggle through nutrient-rich soil. She stares at the letter, watching the ink quickly dry before her. Meira thinks about home and how long it has been since she's heard her parent's voices. She feels her heart drying as well.
For the first time in ages, Meira finds herself scarf-less. Feeling the woven textures of the scarf, Meira thinks back to when she first met Flint. She thought about his sad swollen eyes and how much he panicked when he thought he'd hurt her from pulling bramble thorns from her paws. She thought about when she brought Flint home, and how her parents nearly tore her to shreds thinking she bullied yet another classmate. She remembered the harsh words Flint's father screamed at Meira and her parents for taking Flint in. Living a few towns over made it seem like kidnapping. Meira's nose scrunches at the thought of Flint's father. She remembers wanting to Thunder Punch Flint's father with all her might.
Meira remembered the day her parents allowed Flint to move into her family home after he had visited all bruised up one too many times. She remembered when Flint's father stopped trying to fight her own, knowing full well he wasn't fit to raise children. She remembered the first day Flint came to school, and the bruises she left on local bullies for bothering Flint. She remembered the first time Flint called her his friend, and how she had ran away to hide her tears. For once, she felt somebody actually cared for her, somebody outside of her family that wouldn't pretend to like her just to be on her good side.
Meira billows a long sigh towards the window. She thought about the day her town's tradition had come up. Every year, pairs of mons gather and swap affectionate gifts as a sign of attraction. Whether that attraction is platonic or something more is left to their hearts. The tradition has had many names throughout time, but its most common is Twine; a mesh that twists and turns in unison, forming a strong bond. She remembered her Pa bringing out her childhood quilts that had torn years ago. It had been reborn as a pair of emerald and juniper scarves, perfect for the occasion.
Meira remembered the first time she cried in front of Flint, scarves in hand. She remembered how much her bones felt like they would fall out of her body with every word that escaped her lips. What surprised her most was the shared expression on Flint's cute, careful face. Maybe it was a moment of pure bliss for the both of them. Meira crushed her cheeks in her paws. Why can't I remember what he said? Am I blockin' it out? Ugh, been tusslin' with my thoughts too long, Meira thought.
"Meira!" A somewhat quiet voice rings through the hall.
Without thinking, Meira nabs a random cloth and slaps it on top of the drying letter. She turns towards her door with a smile as Flint appeared in her doorway. He appears hatless, with his articulate braids of his head fur curling as he yawns.
"There ya are. You seen my hat?" Said Flint.
"Oh yeah, right over here."
Flint slips his stetson on, chuckling. "Glad I got some extra shut-eye after this mornin'. Strange dreams have been botherin' me. What're you up to?"
"Heh, well...you know me…restin' no matter how restless I'm feelin', heheh..."
"I'll jus' pretend ya didn't make that up, mmk?" Flint stands on Meira's straw bed, turning a few times before gently plopping down. "Hey, w-wanna join me a while?"
"Ohoho! Sure thing, lemme just…" Meira ties her scarf back on, slowly inching over to her Fennekin partner. "Fixin' to spend some time with little ol' me?"
"Of Course! Ever since you had them injuries, it's just been us taking care of your wounds. Guess I'm missing, well, you. This mornin' made me realize that..."
Meira cuddles against Flint's bushy tail. "Aww, you're just bein' sweet!"
"Maybe so."
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, y'know?"
"Mmhm." Flint huffs.
The saffron colored mons lean against one another, basking in the awkward air stinking up the room. Close as they are, Flint and Meira are torn between their relationship and their livelihoods. Any mon around would assume they're newlyweds, but the pair hate hearing that. They've never even bumped noses outside of a few accidents. Little crunches followed by quick spits shoot from Flint as he tears away twigs from his fur. Meira watches him groom his fur, wondering how he deals with the infinite twig-age. With each twig removed, another grows in its spot, seemingly longer than the last. Meira wonders if her roots could be torn the same way. As she goes to gnaw, Meira notices Flint's scarf, the knot haphazardly holding it in place. She offers to help retie the knot, knowing he'd appreciate it.
"Why, thank you very much!" Flint chuckles. "I just did whatever, knot tying's lost on me." He flops his paw towards the ceiling, clumps of fur between his digits.
With her shapely paws, Meira tugs at the loose ends of Flint's scarf. The fur resting beneath where the scarf once lie pings upward like thorns, finally able to breathe. Stray twigs are caught in bits of fur around Flint's neck, stockpiled for Ember ammunition. As she unravels the scarf, Meira couldn't help but notice how much it smells like Flint. The smell practically wafts from the accessory! It's a gentle musk, a combination of well-done toast mixed with light fur and pine needles.
Meira leans in, gently bringing the scarf ends around Flint's neck. She leans close enough that his snoot bumps against her neck, causing him to raise his head slightly skyward. He blushes a deep red, but keeps his eye on her as she works. Meira ensures the knot is snug and firm, stopping and starting over and over until she gets it just right. A small snort leaves Flint's nose around the fifth do-over. When she finishes, she asks why Flint is so giggly.
"Hehe, I'm sorry Meira, but I forgot how funny your face squishes up when you're concentratin'!"
"N-now that ain't fair!" Her blush catches her frown. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? Fess up!"
"Maybe I did, hehe."
Meira never got used to Flint being so playfully flirtatious with her. "I'll getchu back, right when you forget! Just wait an' see!"
The pair share a laugh before going back to lounging against one another. They listened to one another's breathing, unconsciously trying to sync breaths. Meira begins to breathe strange, thinking about her sacred memories of meeting Flint. Flint couldn't help but ask what bothers her.
"Huh? Oh, I was thinkin' back to when we first met."
"It's been a long time, huh! I remember bein' half scared to death you were gonna beat me up."
"After what ya did for me? I could never!"
"…Y-you swiped at me the moment I pulled the thorn out."
"Reflexes! Those thangs hurt like all get out, 'specially bein' pulled out!"
"That's true." Flint winces.
Meira finds herself glancing at her desk, taking a deep breath before she speaks again. "Do ya remember that holiday we used to celebrate back home?"
"Hmm...which one? Twine?"
"Yeah, that. You remember when I asked you to skip class with me?" Meira peeks at his nodding. "A-and, remember when I presented the scarves?" Another nod. "I know we were both kinda emotional and all that, but…do you remember what you said? To me?" Meira's eyes are big and wiggly, waiting for Flint's answer.
Flint's smile disappears. "Ya don't remember?"
"Think I do, but I'm makin' sure I remember right is all."
"…I'm sure whatever you remember is good enough, Meira. How don't you remember?" His soft tone ripples.
"I-I don't know? I've been doing a buncha things here since we started our team, y'know? I reckon my memory's slippin', that or I rattled it at some point. I'm sorry." All Meira gets as a response from Flint is a small huff. "Flint?"
"…Yeah, I getcha."
"Are ya…mad about it?"
"No, no. I'm fine."
Meira asks again to make sure, causing Flint to huff again. She forgot what it is like for Flint to be irritated as well. She could never admit it to herself, but Meira's not very good at reading emotions. She attempts to snuggle his face with her cheeks, making his fur stand from the static raining off her.
"I told you I'm fine!" Flint backs away.
"O-oh."
"Just…forget about that right now, mmk?"
No! I wanna remember, Flint! She argues with herself. "Uh, alrighty, I guess."
The pair sit in complete silence for a while, awkwardness back barging in to ruin the mood. Meira spaces herself from Flint, not wanting to irritate him further. Eventually, Flint rolls onto his back. "Y'know, I've been thinkin'…it's been a few days." He wiggles closer to Meira, a twig falling from his ear fluff. "We should do some missions. If you're feelin' alright—"
"You kiddin'? Of course I am! Let's mosey in twenty?" Meira grins.
"Mmk. I'mma let Sia know too." Flint nods as he left Meira's room.
Soon as his bushy tail was out of sight, Meira snatches away the cloth she'd slammed on her letter. Miraculously, the letter had a few smudges but it dried well. She carefully folds the letter twice, places it into an envelope, and clamps it shut with a wax seal. Meira's scarf feels jagged as she adjustes it over and over. Flint's huffing stays fresh in her mind.
As Flint peeks into Sia's room, he notices her massaging her tail fur. Pawfuls of fur slide like silk as she swipes back and forth. "Hey Flint. What's up?"
"Hiya Sia! I reckon we should do some missions today. I know we haven't done many since you've joined, so it should be nice to get back into it." Said Flint.
"Sounds good."
Mid-afternoon weather makes Team Harmonious Hope feel like lounging, but today isn't the day for that. Today is the day for some dungeon crawling! As the trio descends the stairs, Sia shoots quick glances at her team members. She has not forgotten the ominous warnings she received from the Mew duo, to watch over Meira like she's some sort of calamity. She wonders why they didn't just ask Flint to do it, somebody who would actually know if something was wrong.
As they reach the first floor, Meira scatters out of the group, heading towards a mail depositing station. She discreetly slipped her envelope into a chute before scurrying back to her team members. The lobby is full of mons going about their days, finding missions, lounging, just enjoying the day. The same can't be said about the mission boards themselves; It's near impossible to avoid the monsoon of pages hanging from the outlaw board. Page after page, complaints about clowns, jesters and something "mime-like" from all kinds of mons are abundant. Meira immediately nabs several pages off the outlaw board, flashing them towards Sia. Flint gently picks three pages from the rescue mission board, offering them to Sia as well.
"Which do ya think we should do?" Both Flint and Meira's voices echo off one another.
Sia's fur stands on its ends as she backs away from her team members. "W-woah, slow down! Let me pick this time."
"Oh! Uh, sure Sia." Said Flint.
"Huh? What for?" Meira complains.
Sia grabs her scarf, glancing at the floor. "I thought it'd be fun. Plus, you two always pick." Sia raises her tail, stomping and scrapping her paws on the tiles. "Just…s-shut up and let me pick for once!"
"Ya don't gotta be ugly 'bout it." Flint stares at Sia's embarrassed display.
Meira frowns. "Fine, I reckon it won't hurt, but next time I'm pickin'."
"I'll still pick from what you both had." Sia places each page in front of her and quickly scans them. She didn't want to raise suspicion, so she picked the least dangerous outlaw mission and a couple of item requests.
"Uhh…Sia? Any reason all of these are in Puny Plains?" Said Meira.
"No."
"Hey! That might be alright. Somethin' a little easier since we're gettin' into it all again, y'know?" Flint reasons.
Meira crosses her arms. "We don't need no 'gettin' into it all again', we can handle worse. We do all the time!"
"Meira, quit bein' ugly! It's Sia's turn, let her pick what she wants."
"Whatever, this'll be over in twenty minutes. And when it is, we're doin' another one that I pick!" Meira grits her teeth at Flint.
"No, we ain't! We got no reason to rush things!" Flint returns the gesture. "Hush up with that!"
"You hush up! You're just tryin' to baby me, like always!"
Sia notices both of their scarves begin to glow. Flint's little twigs contort and stretch into strange shapes all over his fur. Meira's roots curl around her hindlegs, reaching all the way to her mid-section. "Flint? Meira? What's…"
"Then stop actin' like a baby!" Flint let his words fly like splinters. His irritation morphs into regret. "I-I didn't mean that."
But the damage is done. "Y'know what? Since I'm such a 'baby' to you, I'm goin' to the dungeon by myself. Y'all can do some other missions without me!" Meira snatches up the mission pages and dashes towards the door. A cloud of dust trailes behind her as she runs out of Twiligleam city.
Flint's twigs begin to retract. "Hold on, Meira! C'mon Sia, we gotta mosey!"
"How'd I get pulled into this..." Sia barely keeps up with Flint's frantic sprinting.
The world becomes a blur around Meira as she keeps running. She didn't notice the troves of mons that she trampled on her way out, all she cared about was getting away from Flint. Her roots retract slightly, but remained outside of her body. Each root stands at a point, seemingly stuck in perpetual growth. In one magnificent jump, Meira blasts through the dungeon's entrance. Not long after, Flint and Sia do the same.
…A wispy fluff chuckles from a nearby bush. "Oh, what a bunch-a clowns! The stage is set, let's get this show on the road!"
Notes: Finally, some proper love (or not!) given to the Harmony duo! It was fun writing Flint and Meira interacting with one another. It may seem petty for Flint to hold Meira's forgetfulness against her like that, but whatever exactly she's forgetting seems really important. I wonder how they'll deal with dungeon crawling and all that tension...
Poor Sia, too!