Two dog Pokémon playfully barked outside periodically, with some bits of growling here and there. Their sounds began to fade as they chased each other around the open fields. Nemona was dressed in her tracksuit – black with red highlights – having planned to go for a... eugh... 'a run'... after her hangout here. She was getting used to it, slowly but surely. Her Pawmot and Lycanroc at least enjoyed the run, but she was still having trouble keeping up with them. Made her feel less confident about her progress, given how short and stubby Pawmot's adorable little legs were... and yet she still could barely keep up for long. Stamina had never been her strong suit, but she was really starting to confront that now with Bea and Dendra's drills, which she was religiously sticking to as best she could. It left little energy for much else at the end of the day, and in a weird way, the lack of social time with Penny the last day and a half had been... kind of a needed break, almost.
The flat Nemona had just entered was starting to form into something resembling a home. Nemona figured that Arven wasn't here all too often, anyway – he seemed to prefer the great outdoors. But he'd clearly spent some effort tidying up this place since the last time she'd been there. That strange room built into the base of the lighthouse on Poco Path had been repurposed into Arven's flat. Baskets and barrels of ingredients lined one wall, with a ramshackle metal shelving unit dedicated to spices and mixes beside it. A lot of the research stuff Arven's parents had left behind was tucked off into a corner, and there was an island counter on wheels for making meals, its countertop one big wooden cutting board, stained and marked from many uses. There was a proper kitchenette installed against the wall where the sink was. An electric kettle was beginning to boil up in the back of the flat, sitting atop the small fridge unit on the floor. Man. Nemona was used to having a fridge like that in her bedroom back at he family manor. A tiny fridge like that had been just a novelty for her, a convenience. For Arven, it was his literal, primary fridge... And it looked kind of old, like he'd gotten it second-hand.
"Hungry?" Arven asked.
"A-whuh? Huh?" Nemona was jarred from her observations as she unslung her bag from her shoulder, setting it on the couch.
"Are. You. Hungry?" Arven repeated calmly, seemingly amused by how spaced Nemona had just been. He went about leaning his tall hiking bag against his wheeled island counter as he began digging into it like it was a mini expedition.
"Oh. Uh. Yea." Nemona's brows furrowed as she tried to recollect herself. Creasing her forehead, she replied, "Yea, actually. Could eat like a Snorlax right now..."
"Well," he huffed, turning on his sink. He raised his voice a bit as he washed his hands. "Take a seat. You'll have to settle for eating like... a... erhh, a Greendent. Or something."
"What's the difference?" Nemona wondered, plunking herself onto the old couch. Her legs ached as she did so – all of that jogging was catching up with her...
"Erk-... Well, Miss Class President, th-"
"Former," Nemona corrected instantly, the subject very prescient in her thoughts over the past couple days.
Arven paused. "... Oh, yea. You graduated, too, huh? I see you at the school so much, doing the same kinds of things, I, uh... guess I forgot."
"You were there at my ceremony," she chuckled with some disbelief that he'd forgotten.
"Yea, but... I was pretty worn out that day: I'd been burning the midnight oil helping the school prep for the feast we had." Arven rubbed his thumb against his chin as he recalled, his other hand drumming its fingers on a jar of pickled eggs. "Think I fell asleep when they were handing out diplomas during the big day. I remember Penny got pretty peeved over that, heh..."
"She did, huh?" Nemona mumbled, already morose that the subject of 'Penny' had come up so quickly. It was hard not for that happen, though – their lives had become pretty interwoven. Not as much as Nemona had hoped they would after the Area Zero incident... but still. Now two of her three closest friends were delicate subjects for her, but she had to keep up appearances. She couldn't bear the thought of her carefully constructed friend group collapsing, all because she was this stupid, clingy idiot...
The electric kettle's boiling had bubbled to a stop, steam billowing out from it behind Arven. It made Nemona think of how her chest had felt arguing with Penny the other night. She loved getting into fights, but... not that kind... Fighting with words was something she sucked at. She'd just spit whatever was at the forefront of her mind and regret it later... or simply be too mentally paralyzed to have anything to say. It was terrible, regardless. But with Penny, the other night, it'd felt like her chest was a kettle, building up heat and pressure, ready to explode... At least Penny had retreated before anything had blown up. But in a way, that just felt worse, because it meant things had gone unresolved. Penny hadn't replied to either of Nemona's texts, or answered her phone call, either...
"Mm, anyways," Arven scooped the convo back up. "You're, what, like a school staff member, now, or something? Sorry, I don't recall." Arven hadn't been in Mesagoza much as of late. He'd been on a few trips with his partner in the spring, apparently, and for the summer he'd mostly been touring Paldea, picking up new recipes from across the region, and continuing to study up on the Herba Mystica – those fancy plants with special properties from absorbed Tera energy. He was trying to work out potential medicinal and nutritional uses for them, or... something like that. "Just know that you've still been at the school most days."
Nemona nodded in confirmation, explaining, "Even before I graduated, Clavell and Geeta both practically begged me to work part-time for the Academy, so that was already figured out before I even had a day to consider what to do after graduation."
Arven took out a a half loaf of bread in a bag as he prodded, "Right, so you're-... What, exactly? At the school?"
Nemona vented some of her frustration with the situation right then and there, popping her palms upward with a grumble of, "Good question."
Arven blinked, his head twitching to and fro in befuddlement as he began pulling out jars and bottles of condiments.
"You've been graduated for over a year now, you're still working at the school, and you don't know... what your job title is?"
Nemona gave him a slyly aggravated look, her brows lifting up. The kind of look that conveyed she wasn't happy about it, exactly, but didn't want to trash talk anyone, either.
"I feel like they got so used to me being Class President," she muttered, "they haven't worked out who could take over everything I did, so they just-..."
"Haven't let you go," Arven finished her thought with some skepticism, setting a bag of fresh tomatoes onto his countertop.
Nemona whipped up her hand in his direction with a nod and continued. As she did so, Arven approached his creaky old cabinet, grabbing two dinged up tin cups, and brought them to his electric kettle, freshly boiled. Nemona decided to recount her time at the Academy as she watched Arven prepare drinks for them.
"They still haven't settled on a role for me, so it's sorta been... just this, that, the other." Nemona began counting tasks on her fingers, gawking aimlessly at the ceiling to keep focus. "One morning I'll be substitute teaching for Raifort on Hoenn history, then I'm running a supply errand for the nurse, I have to break up a fight in the hallway, I have to clean up after the fight because one of the kids got scared sick by someone's ghost Pokémon... By lunch I'm helping tidy after Hassel's painting class, and before the day's up they have me doing battle demonstrations for Dendra's students."
"Sounds... like a lot."
"It-..." Nemona was about to burst out 'It is!' but she reconsidered it. In the grand scheme, was it so bad? "It's not easy," she puffed, deflating herself. Even then, she still felt guilty complaining, and was quick to follow up, "Don't get me wrong, I still love the teachers, the students – the Academy made me who I am. I'm totally comfortable there."
Arven nodded along in consideration, handing her a cup of coffee. It was the cheap, instant-kind, which Nemona did not very much enjoy. But she didn't want to seem rude, so she gave an utterance of, "Thanks," and sipped at it. Did it make her a 'rich, pampered Princess' because she was picky about her coffee...?
"But you're itching to do something else," theorized Arven, returning to his island counter to continue meal prep.
He took a satisfied sip of his coffee as he grabbed a tomato to wash. Nemona felt a pang of self-loathing at not being happy enough with her drink, when Arven seemed just fine with it. As much as she denied her family's wealth and lifestyle, she couldn't pretend it had zero influence on her anymore... And she hated that. Why couldn't she have been born into a normal family? And... if she had, would she have still ended up as Class President? As Champion...? She couldn't say for sure... Maybe in another universe, she would've... just been some battle-obsessed weirdo without a reputation to worry about... Either way, she totally was nota 'pampered little Princess,' and she got so annoyed when Penny and Arven called her 'Princess.' It didn't happen much these days, but when certain topics came up, that divide still happened a bit, and that nickname came out. It reinforced the notion that as much as she tried to blend in with everyone else, Nemona just didn't have the same life experiences most people did, and she was kind of socially obligated to not abandon her responsibilities, either, so she could never really be a 'totally normal' citizen without giving up... probably a lot of stuff in her life...
Even so, what did she even want to do with herself? If she abandoned her current obligations to the Academy, what the heck would she be doing? She didn't really want to be 'normal,' she wanted to excel. But Pokémon battling was the only thing she excelled at, logistically speaking...
"Am I, though?" Nemona wondered aloud, very unsure. "Itching to do something else...?"
"I mean," balked Arven, "at the least, I assume your long term goal is to... aim for La Primera? Isn't it? Seems to be what everyone expects from you."
Nemona's heart drifted at the thought. Of course she wanted that. Whether she deserved it – whether she would grow to be even half as cool as Geeta, or half as good a leader, she wasn't so sure. And besides, part of her just could not bear the idea of anyone but the beautiful, amazing Geeta as Top Champion. It seemed wrong, somehow.
Nemona beamed as she thought about it: Geeta's journey to the top, and what might await Nemona herself down the line. Geeta had once been a student, herself, hard as that was to imagine. No-doubt she'd faced her own conflicts, her own struggles... Would Nemona really end up attaining that position herself, one day: La Primera? It was both hard to imagine and yet very, very easy to dream about. Top Champion, and Chairwoman of the League... and Chairwoman of the Academy? It was a lot... But if she achieved it some day, her family would at least have to acknowledge that her battling interests weren't a 'waste of time.' On the other hand, she could tell that Geeta needed to deal with lots of bureaucracy, and... Nemona honestly was not feeling that. A member of the Elite Four probably already entailed a lot of that 'business' end stuff... But La Primera was mostly that, it wasn't like you got to fight in many Pokémon battles once you reached that title. Was that even what Nemona wanted...?
She glanced at Arven to get a beat on what he was making of this, her brain not quite registering that it was a flash of thoughts and questions internally, not spoken aloud.
He had paused his tomato slicing to give her a shockingly solemn look. But he didn't say anything.
'Oh, right, he just asked me a question! If I'm going to aim to become La Primera...'
"Geeta and I have... talked about that possibility," Nemona confessed. She hadn't spoken of this with anyone, even weeks after the conversation. "A few times, but, like... more in-depth, recently."
"Do tell," said Arven with interest, his eyes focused on his veggie-chopping. Nemona admired how clean and precise his cuts were from a distance – it wasn't easy when you were moving your hands that fast! He'd really gotten good at it. It reminded her of the chef that would cook a lot of their meals back at the family manor...
Nemona sagged herself backward into Arven's musty old couch, nursing the tin cup of bland coffee. This sort of place wasn't exactly 'cozy' to her, and she didn't understand how it could be for Arven, but... she knew it had to do with it being a place his parents had put together and everything. Gah, and there went that thought again: 'Am I thinking like this because my family's rich and I'm used to things being all nice and tidy?'
"Geeta thinks I'm a bit, erh-..." Nemona scratched a fingernail against her cheek sheepishly. "-... obsessive?"
"You don't say," Arven teased, opening his cutlery drawer to pull out a scooper tool.
Nemona knew that by now, their rapport was at a good enough spot where he wasn't throwing shade – as long as she wasn't throwing pokéballs his way, at least. He loved to cook, she loved to fight, it was all good. He followed up, "But isn't being all into battling what the League is supposed to be about?"
"See, that's what I thought, too," Nemona replied, sitting up right, eager to divulge. "Geeta pointed out how a lot of the job is, y'know, management stuff, though. Paperwork and... and policies, and all that. Plus, she made this whole thing of how basically all of the top trainers in Paldea have other interests, too. How life is about 'balance' and stuff, and someone who's only focused on Pokémon battling-... Agh... How'd she put it?" Nemona's fingers began habitually twirling at her bangs. "Like, you can't lead people very well if all you lead are Pokémon? Something like that. If you put all your Togepi in one basket, there's no room for them to grow into Togekisses."
"I don't... think that's how the saying goes," said Arven skeptically as he de-skinned and scooped an avocado. "But if you put all your eggs in one basket, yea, that can potentially become a problem..." 'Oh, sure, you would make it a saying about food, instead, heh...'
"Anyway," Nemona continued, "she told me about how it's this core value of Paldea, and why the Treasure Hunt exists in the first place: variety is the spice of life, balance in all things. He, um-... Clavell, I mean, he's always reminding me: 'turn your eyes upon the wider world and deepen your understanding.' And, uh... Apparently, I'm not exactly there yet." She shrugged complacently, having already accepted that this was true, and her head hung with some shame.
"Isn't one of the Elite Four a, erh... literal child?" Arven pointed out.
"Right?! And it feels like I apparently can't even stand up to match that?"
"Mm." Arven pondered as he chopped things. "I can't imagine that kid's fit for all of the League duties the others have to contend with."
"So, then... What the flip?!" Nemona grumbled. "Why am I supposed to be held up to this higher standard?"
"Probably because Geeta and co. have higher expectations from you... And we don't even know how how or why that child made it in. Isn't she, like, Rika's adopted kid, or something?"
Nemona pondered that for a second, now that Arven had brought it up. She hadn't really questioned how Poppy had become an Elite Four member because... the kid was a great trainer. But given the thoughts that Penny and Arven had been putting into her head as of late, it did beg the question... Was Poppy a great trainer at such a young age purely through some kind of force of will? Or was being Rika's kid a factor? Logistically... it was hard to deny the latter. And even harder to deny that it played a factor in Poppy being one of the Elite Four... And all that aside, it did have Nemona begin wondering some things about the Elite Four, like... how she'd defeated them (and Geeta, too) on her first try... And her Rival had had the same experience...
These were the thoughts that whizzed by Nemona's brain, but like waiting for fast-moving traffic to stop, she just hummed out an, "Mmm..." and waited for Arven to move on. She didn't like thinking about this.
"You've clearly got a shot at joining the League if you want to," Arven assured. "You could mop them floor with 'em, right?"
Nemona took this chance to swiftly spring the convo forward.
"I know! And, like, Geeta won't say it out loud? But I can totally tell she's worried I can't focus up enough to fit into the League. And I can't... disagree with her, really. Not when I think about it."
"Ah-hah," said Arven, apparently enlightened. As he began spreading some mayo on slices of bread, he asked, "So that's why you've been scoping out all those different hobbies lately, huh? Fishing, footie, and now this martial arts thing?"
"W-Well, the martial arts training has some other reasons for it, but... yea, that's part of it."
"Maybe you could take over Dendra's job some day," theorized Arven. He pointed his mayo-tipped bread life at her and razzed, "You sure fit the same profile, at least..."
"Heh, she's been helping with my training, actually!" Nemona proudly pointed out, not letting his playful jabs get to her. "So. Yea. Either way, I've been trying to do all of these different things. Hobbies, tasks for the Academy, working with the different teachers... But I don't feel like I'm any closer to what comes next than I was a year ago." She slumped, chin in her palm, elbow on the couch's arm. "Makes me wonder what the point of graduating even was..."
Arven flicked his moppy mane behind his shoulders as he went about more mayo smearing.
"Here's a question for you: is the Academy paying you?"
"Huh?" Nemona was confused. "It's sort of like an internship kind of thing. Why would they be paying me?"
Arven snorted a laugh and shook his head, his eyes rolling just a bit. It was that specific way he would react when Nemona said something that 'gave away her richness,' as Arven would put it. He retorted, "Uhh, because you're working for them?"
"That's-..." Nemona considered this. Everything about her day-to-day did feel like what she assumed a 'job' was like... But she didn't feel like she was being 'used,' exactly. But it was weird how they hadn't officially given her any sort of title after all this time, though. Didn't interns do work for free? For the job experience? That was how Father always talked about it... but when Arven put it so simply like that, it made her question it... How had this gone over her head?
'Because you don't have to worry about money the way most people do, dumbass.'
"What do your folks think about the whole thing, anyway?" Arven moved on, leaving the previous question for Nemona to stew over on her own time. He was starting to apply avocado to the sandwiches now. Nemona decided to withhold the fact that her parents were still paying for her room and board, which would only make her situation even less relatable for the guy, and make her look even less responsible.
"They're expecting me to 'climb the ranks,'" she said, mimicking her Father's formality. "I think my Mom's been in talks with Geeta to try and-..." She trailed off, starting to put some pieces together. "-... apply for a position on the school board..."
"...Interesting," Arven murmured. He said it in that way he'd say things when he was trying not to get on Nemona's case for being rich, but she was all too familiar with the signs by now. He knew Arven no longer judged her, personally, but he and Penny both would have certain reactions to things and she new what it was getting at: she was privileged in ways they weren't. And it killed her that the more she became self-aware of this stuff, the more she couldn't avoid it.
Arven's questioning and his attitude were rubbing Nemona the wrong way bit due to how tender she was feeling on the subject, but she hadn't really connected these dots together before, and wasn't confident about trying to stoke an argument over it. Her parents always just let her do whatever she wanted, as long as it didn't interfere with what they wanted. She hadn't considered that they would've taken any kind of interest in what she was doing at the Academy, but given the position she'd found herself in, Mother had been a lot more keen as of late about the school... She'd even been inviting teachers over for meals and stuff. Hm...
"A-Anyway," Nemona shoved the matter aside. "Clavell's been trying to get me to endorse someone else for Class President, I guess the current one's not quite working out. And I was thinking – why not have the newest Champion take that spot, right?"
"My partner, you mean?" Arven wondered, his brows furrowing a little as he began stacking tomato slices with care onto his creation.
"Exactly!"
"Hm." Arven didn't have much of a reaction to this. Like he didn't know? Weird...
"Mm. So, uh...- " Nemona timidly tilted her face toward her left shoulder and shrugged into her cheek as she gawked at the floor. "Well, we both know your partner's already run circles around me by this point, yea? So, Geeta and I agreed on who ought to be the new prez. I, uh-..." Nemona's head reoriented, her eyelids flickering as she glanced to, away from, and back to Arven, muttering, "I'd thought you... would've known about it by now, but-..."
Arven was wide-eyed, seemingly a bit perplexed, but he smirked after a moment, nodded to himself, and went about grabbing something from his tiny fridge.
Nemona latched her hands onto opposite elbows, hoping she hadn't stepped into something awkward, especially given her own awkward topic she had to bring up soon enough...
After pulling out a... bowl of eggs? From the fridge? Arven's body slowed to a stop. Chin rising gently, he sniffed in a deep, quick breath through his nostrils, closed his eyes, then exhaled in a quick puff through his nose, tipping his head back down.
"Truth be told," he confessed, plucking some of the (hard-boiled) eggs from the bowl, "my partner's been a little... absent the past few weeks, so, for all I know, they don't even know about this yet."
"Mm." Nemona bobbed her head thoughtfully. "I haven't told 'em myself, we've been, uh...-" Nemona's fingers drummed against her thighs with trepidation. She opted to do what she'd been doing and avoid that can of Weedles... "We haven't been in touch so much lately? And anyway, I wanted to let Clavell have the honor. Part of me's kinda... ashamed? I guess? Or-... Or too proud? Or maybe-..." Nemona's eyebrows furrowed as she gazed off into space, considering how she felt about it. Definitely a can of Weedles she didn't want to get into, especially with this Penny stuff going on...
"I get it," assured Arven as he carefully cut some of the eggs into slices. "They're your Rival. You were their mentor, kind of? And they surpassed you." He seemed pretty pleased with that last part, waving his bread knife in the air as he said it. "Passing the torch when you're not that much older, I could see it feeling a little weird."
"Surpassed is... kind of bold of you to assume," Nemona cited with some snark. It wasn't like she'd ever broken out one of her older, more matured teams. That'd have ruined the sport of it, after all. "But. Yea. I guess I see what you're saying, about passing the torch. I didn't... want to deal with it. Besides, I-..." Nemona trailed off. She couldn't bear herself to say it. It was too selfish. Especially now that she was questioning... all these things she was questioning.
Arven was laying sliced egg onto the sandwiches now.
"What is it?" he checked, picking up that something was off.
Nemona, hands still clamped defensively onto her elbows, shook her head a little, her eyelids sagging as she felt a pang of strange gloom descend on her.
The can of Weedles was prying itself open from the inside.
"I just-... I thought we'd be 'Rivals for Life,' ya know? They promised me..."
After a heavy pause, Arven interjected with bemusement, "You would've forced them to promise if they'd said 'no.'"
"OK, sure, maybe," conceded Nemona, knowing her own stubbornness well enough. "But either way, that's what we agreed on. And... it's like they've moved on. Like they're, I don't know, eager to just... take off to some other place on the rare occasion I even see them anymore." She'd shrugged, giving away more of her disappointment and frustration than she'd meant to. Her stomach churned at the thought of Arven finding out about what had happened between them that day... It was way too embarrassing. She added under her breath, "Almost like they're... sick of having me around... or-..."
Arven either didn't notice or pretended he didn't. This didn't fill Nemona with confidence. If he had something good to say, he totally would have, right? So the Weedles went back in their can... Arven was now getting some mustard ready, leaving the topic to Nemona, so she went on, trying to pivot sideways so as to not make it seem obvious she wanted to avoid the subject.
"And on the rare occasion when we do battle, it's-... I don't know, I guess I'm stubborn and keep using Pokémon I raised alongside theirs. I want my newer teams to keep getting stronger, too, for sure. But our fights aren't as close as they could be, their team has totally surpassed mine by now. And that's my fault." She crossed one foot over the other, and began wiggling it habitually as the subject started getting her a little worked up. "I don't have the same free time I used to with all of this work for the Academy. They ran circles around me last time we battled, and I wasn't even holding back. Most people, I have to hold back at least a little, you know? When they became Champion, I told myself, 'no more holding back!'"
"Mm," was all Arven had to say. She could tell he was listening intently, just juggling his mustard-spreading task. So she continued.
"Aaaand then the Academy got peeved with me for 'bullying' the students at Pokémon battles so much, that people were filing complaints, about how it's-" She imitated Clavell's accent. "-'unbefitting of a Class President to seek out one-sided fights.'" She cleared her throat, relieved that Arven chuckled a bit, and she resumed. "So I had to reign it in, but pretend that I wasn't. Do you know how frustrating it is to pull your punches and deal with people thinking you've gone soft? It had been so exciting when I finally had a real Rival, someone who could match me, who could beat me, who I never have to hold back with." She took a deep breath and huffed gently, shoving her head back against the couch's spine and closing her eyes, imagining her Rival's bored disinterest the last time they'd fought. "But it's like I got left in the dust before we really hit our stride. They're off doing who-knows-what, who-knows-where, and I'm... just-..."
"Still here. Doing the same old Torch Song and Rain Dance." Arven had finished Nemona's thought as he finished applying the mustard. Nemona realized she'd let herself ramble a bit when she hadn't meant to. She pulled her head back up, sifting hair off of the cough and across her shoulder as she rubbed some sand from her eye.
"Yea," she confirmed frankly, and with a pinch of self-bitterness. "I mean, at least I've got this training regimen going, right? I'm not gonna to be going toe-to-toe with a Machamp any time soon, but... you know." She flexed her arm a little, showing the scant but noteworthy progress, as there was now just a little bit of muscle definition where once there had been an arm that could barely throw a pokéball without a brace to support it.
Arven was starting to dash on some sprinkles of spices to the sandwiches now. Salt and pepper, but probably some other stuff, too, she couldn't quite tell what. He always got so cagey and secretive with his recipes, but she so understood. She could be protective over battling strategies sometimes, too. You sometimes wanted to save your best tricks for a grand reveal, or just because it was yours.
"I admit," he mused, "I wasn't really that surprised when I heard you were getting into fitness and martial arts." Arven laughed softly. "The battle nut, evolving forms beyond commanding Pokémon to fight into becoming the fighter herself? I don't know. It... kind of makes sense, somehow. In a weird way. Like... a 'makes sense for Nemona' way, hah..."
He gave her an endeared look, but it was that same way her big sister would look at her when they talked about her hobbies. He respected it, but he was distant from it. At least, she figured, it was better than that disappointment Penny would give her... But he was on to something – comparing her to a Pokémon, evolving her abilities.
Nemona's stomach fluttered at this idea he'd just popped into her head. How had she not thought of it like that before?!
"Arrrrveeen~ " she squealed. She clasped her hands abreast with delight. "You are totally right!"
He smiled coolly.
"Obviously, and almost always."
Nemona slapped her left palm against her flexing right bicep and cawed a laugh out.
"I'm evolving! I'm-... I went from a Baby to a Stage 1, and... now I'm becoming a Stage 2."
"Of life? I, um. Yea. I guess so."
"Hah. I totally am." Nemona pumped her fists down at her sides, kicking her legs out from the couch. "Aw, man. I hadn't thought of it like that. Awesome. Thanks, dude!"
"Tch. Yea, no problem." Arven was smooshing bread slices on top of his creations now. You would be cheered up by being compared to a Pokémon, wouldn't you... ?"
"You bet!" she cried, pumping a fist skyward.
"And I'm guessing all of this athlete nonsense means you've got a bigger appetite than you used to, huh?"
"Sure does!"
"Well, don't get your hopes too high. I haven't gotten groceries in a while, running low on a lot of things. So I hope you're good with the basics."
"Mas o menos. Food is food, I'll eat whatever you throw at me. But knowing you, it'll be a banger."
"Uh, yea, sorry. No sausages at the moment."
"Eh?"
"Banger?" Arven gave Nemona a perplexed look, to which she shrugged. "Isn't that what they call-...? Nevermind. We'll keep it simple, just have sandwiches like usual. How's that sound?"
"Sounds pretty good." She took in a whiff of the fresh ingredients he'd been prepping together. Funny enough, he didn't look done, appearing to go about starting to make some more sandwiches of a totally different type! She wasn't going to complain!
"So, uh-... What did you want to ask me about, anyway?" Arven prodded, and Nemona's insides squirmed. "I get the feeling you didn't call me up just to vent about the Academy."
"I-... I wanted to ask you about... something else?" Nemona slid an index finger up and down her cheekbone, playing dumb. Now that Nemona was feeling a little more positive about the future, she was getting cold feet about confessing the stuff she was not so confident about. Especially after having already spilled her guts about being uncertain about these other things...
"Didn't you?" Arven froze, giving her the human equivalent of a Scary Face attack. "Wh-... Isn't there a certain reason you called me to hang out? You made it sound important."
'Oh. OH, he knows, doesn't he? Penny told him, didn't she...?!'
Nemona was surprised at herself, that she felt so confidently that she could tell based on his speech, his expression. And honestly, it lined up – Arven knew them both, and better than most anyone else, really. It was the same reason she was here, after all... But Nemona didn't like admitting that. She was having second thoughts, here...
"I-... Urh, I just-..." Chewing her lip, Nemona casually slung on arm across the spine of the couch, slouching. "Why can't two buds just... hang out?" She lobbed back the sort of pleasant smile her family's fancy parties had trained her dish out.
Arven shot her a deadpan look, and she immediately knew there was no convincing him otherwise, so she dropped the act in a slump, pushing her lowest-hanging green bang to the side with a huff hot air.
"Listen," he said curtly, "I'm fine with 'two buds just hanging out,' but when have you, by yourself, ever specifically called me to hang out and it had nothing to do with Pokémon battling?"
"..." Nemona had no answer for that, because there was no honest answer to that. When she did ever seek him out, herself, it was pretty much always to battle – if not him, then the person he was dating... not that even they had been interested as much lately...
So, Nemona bluffed, figuring it was worth a shot, seeing as a good battle could cheer her up.
"Maybe it... does... have to do with Pokémon battling?" She reached for her bag and pulled out an empty pokéball – it was the easiest one to find. She hadn't brought so much as a single team with her to remove any temptation or distraction, just the one 'mon that was outside playing with his Mabosstiff.
Arven wasn't buying it. "For once," he said firmly, "I actually don't think battling is what you really want to do right now. I think it's the least of your worries."
Nemona shoved her pokeball into her pocket and whimpered in defeat, covering her face with her hands.
"That's how you know I'm in a mood," she moaned, her voice muffled through her palms.
"It's about Penny? Right?" Arven shot what she knew was an educated guess. "Things with you and Penny?"
Nemona's already aching stomach quivered as her hands slid downward and off her face. The look on Arven made it even more clear he wasn't shooting in the dark. He knew what was up, for sure, and he was annoyed about it. Whatever Penny had thought Nemona'd done wrong the other night, now Arven knew about it, and he thought she'd done something wrong, too! Ugh, was her brain really that broken to not get it...?
"I... don't... -" Nemona's head whipped in denial from left and right, her hair flicking around from the rapid rotation. She blew hair out of her mouth mid-sentence: "Things are...apff-... fine. We're just-..."
"Arceus's sake, Nemona." The sound of metal cutlery clattering to a plate with impatience was deafening. "You're a terrible liar, but at least you never bother trying. What gives?"
"What-... What do you know?" Nemona asked dejectedly, creasing her fingertips across her forehead. She could already feel a wave of embarrassment and awkwardness approaching, like a looming Gigantimax beast approaching...
"Only what Penny told me. Which was... a lot more than I expected her to tell, honestly." Arven wiped his hands on a tea rag and sighed. "Look, Nemona... Penny confessed having some pretty strong feelings for you. You shouldn't take it lightly. It's not something you can just... shove to one side and ignore."
"I'm not ignoring it, I... am... -" Nemona trailed off, wrist half-twisted in front of her. She bit her lip. Her mind usually moved from one place to the next without much thought, but in this case... it just went nowhere. "I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted with self-realization, her wrist going limp.
Arven took pause at this. Nemona glanced at him, thus noticing he was giving her this really solemn, serious look. Contemplation. It was the kind of look Nemona might wear in the heat of battle, in that second between moves where she knew what her opponent wanted to do next, but had to second-guess if they knew that she knew...
"How do you... feel?" Arven asked after a couple seconds of their eyes being locked. "About Penny. Obviously."
Nemona felt her brows curve as a swarm of emotions began circling her. Was this what being hit with a Psywave felt like? No wonder it hurt.
"Well, for starters," Nemona began, finding errant pieces of thought and grabbing them as they came into mental view. "I just-... Well. I find it hard to believe she likes me that way?" She found her hands wriggling around one another, her fingers pointing inward. "She doesn't even like battling. We're so... different."
"Just because she doesn't share that one hobby doesn't mean you can't have others. I'm not big into battles, but... that didn't stop... my partner and me from finding things to do together. And as for being 'different,' well, same deal. Since when is being different is somehow... a bad thing?" Arven seemed puzzled by Nemona's logic. This, in turn, made her question her own common sense logic about the matter. Weren't people who were different supposed to... not... date? That was what Mother and Big Sis had always drilled into her. But she had to figure out a different way to explain it to Arven.
"Wh-..." Nemona began to spit out words, thrusting out a wrist, but stopping. She had to find another stray thought, letting that hand rest against her chin. And she did find a stray thought. "Can you imagine, like... I-I dunno, an Oddish and a... Charmander? Fire and Grass Types? Like-... Like that?" She mashed her palms together in some vague attempt to visualize romance. As if she really understood what it even meant. Kissing, and stuff... She didn't quite understand how it was supposed to work, and the one time she'd thought she did... well, yea, that hadn't turned out right. She did know, by the way, how eggs were made, how babies were born, it was a required course if you wanted an official diploma and all. She knew the 'technicals' but she didn't understand why it worked, why anyone would wanna even do... that stuff... Much less if they were opposing 'Types.'
"Dude," Arven sighed, continuing his sandwich work. "Penny's a person. And so are you. You can't just stick a single Type on an entire... person."
"Maybe I can," Nemona countered with a defensive shrug. "Maybe you-... You and-... Maybe most people are complicated; what if I'm not? Y'know? What if I'm just a one-Type human being? I'm a Fighting-type and Penny's a... a Psychic/Fairy type? What if I get hurt by that? Orrrr what if I'm actually Fire, and-... and she's Grass? What if my Type is just... like, Super Effective on Penny's? You know what Fire does to Grass? It's-..." She huffed through her nostrils, shaking her head. "It's not good."
Arven's nose wrinkled at Nemona's argument. Was it an argument? She didn't even know what she was arguing for, or toward, or against. She just... couldn't make sense of any of this, as much as she tried. Comparing it to Pokémon terms was as close as she could muster to logic, here.
Arven wriggled his butter knife in her direction, asking, "Are you saying you think you're bad for Penny? Or that she's bad for you?"
Nemona eyes went wide and her shoulders leapt upward in a shrug, wordless.
"Listen." Arven took a deep breath, then spilled a long sigh. "Again. I have to restate it, here, because you are you, but-... You can't just equate an entire being to a single trait. A single Type or two. Even Pokémon aren't always that simple."
"Sure, fine, I get that, I just-..."
"I wasn't finished. This isn't-... We're not having a battle, this isn't tit-for-tat, we're not taking turns. I'm trying to explain something to you, so you don't need to try rebutting me with some 'counter attack' before I'm done."
"Ugh." Nemona suppressed a groan as best she could, though air still seeped from her throat out through her nose as she squinted her eyes shut and tried to hear him out.
"OK?" he checked pointedly.
"Mm-hm," Nemona hummed out impatiently, folding her arms across her waist. It was a struggle sitting still, having to just listen when her brain was being surrounded by all of these thoughts and feelings constantly, ready to spit them out before she lost track of them. If she waited too long, held on to one for too long, she might drop it, and then it'd just be gone, and who knew when she'd find it again? If she'd find it again?
"Right. Good. So." Arven inhaled deeply, then went on. Nemona stopped watching him work, closing her eyes to try and retain focus on his voice. "I know you like to avoid confronting this stuff. The second anything gets an 'awkward vibe,' you start running off mentally. Or literally. And believe me, I know what that looks like, I did it with my parents and my Mabosstiff for ages. And you still do it. As your friend, I feel like I gotta tell you: that approach doesn't fix anything. Not saying it's always bad, or anything, just-... Keep it in mind, that you do it, is all I'm saying. And another thing here to keep in mind? Penny asked you a question. Right?"
"... Did she?" Nemona pouted defensively, not entirely sure what he meant. When had Penny asked her some meaningful question during their fight?
"Wh-?! I mean." Arven gave an incredulous pause – again, he was trying not to judge her, but she could feel that 'how thick are you?' She appreciated that he didn't say that out loud – it meant it was just one of that snap reaction thoughts that he threw away quick as it popped into his head. And she totally got that. He re-approached his reply. "Whether she literally asked you, it's... it's implied. I was being rhetorical."
Nemona went a bit slack-jawed. Her brows contorted to express her confusion as she flipped a wrist upward and shook her head slightly.
"'Implied' sounds a lot like 'not actually saying,'" she grumbled, though it came out more like a child whining than she'd intended.
This was all sounding an awful lot like when her Big Sis would get on her case about her behavior around the house staff, or when Father would have guests over. All of those 'silent rules' you were 'meant to follow'... If you didn't just 'know' them, somehow, it was all, 'Palkia's sake, Nemona, where is your common sense?' and 'Forgive our Daughter, she lacks tact,' and blablabla... As if somehow knowing all of these fussy social rules was as common as a Pidgey in the Kanto countryside...
Arven rolled his eyes at her – she hated it in the moment, but he bit his tongue again – then he babbled at her some more.
"She told you how she feels about you. So now, the next step is...-" He stared at her. She stared back, opening her eyelids a little more and rolling her head slowly. "Now. Nemona? You...-?"
"Just say what you-"
"You tell Penny how you feel about her? Hell-oh?" His impatience seeped through the cracks, finally.
Nemona was boggled at this. Like she was, what, supposed to know this, magically, instantly? How? What was there to tell Penny, anyway? She sure didn't know! How could she expected to give an instant answer she didn't have to a question she didn't even know?
"Um? OK?!" Nemona's sass also seeped through the cracks. She pinched her index finger near her thumb. "Tiny problem, Arven: I don't know how I feel." She tossed up a shrug. "Thought I did. We've been hanging out all the time this year, especially the past few months." Then she clutched at her chest, her head sagging. "Things were better than ever. Now? Yea. Now I've got no idea. No clue."
"There's your big problem, then: you need to figure that out. Sooner rather than later, preferably." Arven's small burst of irritation had been swept aside, and Nemona could acknowledge, like usual, that it had just been temporary. That was what made this stuff with Penny so scary: it hadn't dissolved moments later. It lingered, painfully. Arven concluded, "But, hey, here's the upside: you thought you knew, and now you're not sure? Probably means there's something worth, uh, looking into, there."
This must've been what being hit with a Confuse Ray felt like. The world turned upside down, left was right, and before you knew it, you were tripping over yourself and falling flat on your face.
"Right?" Arven prodded, when Nemona didn't respond.
She sucked in air through her nose pensively and nodded half-heartedly. Her head tilted and lulled a little partway into the nodding. He was right. She hated to admit it. Part of her had been hoping, secretly, that Arven would be all pushy and shove some advice on her that was so annoying and bad she'd be totally justified in dismissing it.
She couldn't go to the school staff with this, because it was too embarrassing, too personal. She could probably imagine what someone like Director Clavell would say, anyway. Something all wise and elderly-sounding that made it all seem so simple when it totally wasn't. Besides, he'd probably point out how it was 'inappropriate' to be blabla, student-staff relations, or something. Yea? Well, why wasn't she officially a staff member, then, huh? What was her job title, then, Mister Director?!
Urgh, she was digressing. She liked Clavell, it was just trickier when her relationship with him – and much of the Academy staff, really – had shifted from 'we're here to take care of you' into 'you're here to take care of us.'
Anyway, with this Penny stuff, Nemona also couldn't go to her Rival because she couldn't get in touch with her Rival, and her massive e-mail she'd sent since that argument with Penny probably wasn't helping things... And besides, this was definitely not something she wanted to discuss on the phone, or in text. And would her Rival even have much advice to give? Nemona'd probably rant for five minutes and get a three-word response, something non-committal.
She couldn't go to Mother because Mother wouldn't understand, she'd insist that girls 'just don't think about other girls like that,' or something. She couldn't go to her Big Sis because then she'd get lectured about how 'selfish' it would be, how it could 'damage Father's reputation' or something, how she 'needed to stop wasting her time and energy on people like that.'
And she definitely couldn't go to Father about it, because he'd probably flip out at the very idea. Nemona's family had met Penny once or twice by now, and both times they'd be so... so judgy about her. Nemona didn't get it – they didn't know Penny like she did – but she wasn't surprised. It wasn't even just a 'girls liking girls is weird' kind of thing, though she was certain that was part of it. There was no way everyone on the board at Father's company was all muy entusiasta with the idea of two people of the same gender dating. She just knew it. Even though Rotom-phones were pretty new tech, basically all the people in charge at the company were old men with old ways of thinking. And regardless of how Father felt, personally – and she wasn't even really sure how he felt – he had to make certain he was on good terms with the board. Raising any kind of drama could cause a whole bunch of problems with the company, and that could ruin Father's job, her Big Sis' future plans, Mother's lifestyle... Sure, Nemona herself maybe was pretty separated from that by now, but she still had to take her family into account.
That had always been the arrangement: they let her run wild and do whatever she wanted on her parents' pokédollar, as long as she kept her obsessions out of their way and didn't rock the boat for them. It had worked out so far, but the older Nemona was getting, the more tricky that balance was becoming for her to maintain.
Even if the idea of a big businessman's daughter dating a girl wasn't a problem, there was the other big issue: Penny wasn't exactly the kind of spruced up, well-dressed, 'professional and courteous' student 'fit' for dating a board member's daughter. She was quiet, mildly gloomy (which Nemona thought was kinda cute for some reason), wore funny clothes (again, Nemona found it cute but her Mother specifically complained about it once)... And she was a criminal, technically. A reformed one, but still. Maybe her crimes were nothing compared to organized stuff, and it wasn't like she was cartoonishly gangster like Team Rocket, or something. But to the people in Nemona's family's life, did it make a difference when Penny didn't even wear a uniform while attending class, when she even bothered to attend class? That she wasn't interested in participating in the Treasure Hunt tradition? That she had stolen from the League and only recently worked off her arranged punishment?
To Nemona's family, Penny surely was just some weird, suspicious, 'frumpy' kid who was probably only interested in 'a girl like Nemona' because of... her family's 'money, or something.
Nemona knew that wasn't the case. For one, Penny didn't seem all that bothered about money as long as her needs were met. Nemona felt the same on that, though she admitted she'd grown up getting used to stuff that apparently was pretty expensive. But Penny was cozy, not 'frumpy.' Penny was smart as an Alakazam, with the computing power of a Porygon, the inner determination of a Medicham, all wrapped in a bundle as cute as a... well, an Eevee. And who knew what that Eevee would evolve into, or maybe she already had. Nemona would love and support her all the same, for sure.
How could Nemona explain all of this to Penny, though? Her whole situation?
The reasons why she was so hesitant. It was overwhelming to list them all when considering how she'd lay it all out there. But given her situation, she figured it was worth trying to sort her thoughts and emotions out while they were floating in front of her.
'Hey, yea, kissing and cuddling you seems like it might be nice, I'm not sure, I haven't done that stuff with anyone so I have no idea if I'd even like it or not, what if I disappoint you by not knowing what I'm doing, or not liking it as much as you do? What if I hurt your feelings somehow by not being what you think I am, or not liking you back the same way you say you like me?'
'Oh, you've been staking me out for some time now because you're really interested in me? I know what that's like, yea, I staked someone out and followed them around all of Paldea and supported them and cheered them on and did everything I could to see them succeed and maybe got overly attached and invested for a while... And people around school started spreading rumors about me behind my back about what a 'creeper' I am, how I'm a 'nutjob' because I like what I like, and I like who I like. You know what's fun? Finding out what the word 'yandere' means because it gets scribbled on your dorm room door six times. And then having to explain to the school staff why someone would write that on your door? Wouldn't it be great if I made those rumors even worse by openly dating another girl who also gets rumored and gossiped about?'
'Y'see, Penny, going out on dates is this thing my family has only prepared me for by teaching me to wear a fancy dress and do what I'm told and not cause a racket. Because the last time I caused a commotion at a party by picking a fight with a Gym Leader, I got an earful from my Father over what an embarrassment I was, and how maybe I ought to stop coming to his company parties and raising a ruckus by challenging people to Pokémon battles instead of being a good little girl and being quiet and looking pretty in the fucking corner and doing nothing else because one step out of line in the wrong place at the wrong time could make my entire family's lifestyle collapse in on itself, so maybe it'd be better if I just wore a uniform, played nice, was a model student, did all of my silly little battles off where I wouldn't cause the family any problems, because it'd be super selfish of me to want to do what I want to do around all of the 'proper citizens'when it's such a huge issue, apparently! And when it's not a huge issue, it's because they just don't care.'
'Why do you think they had a Pokémon battlefield built behind the house, under a cliff, on a beach? Where no one can see from the front? So I could spend all my time there, where my obsession wasn't going to cause an issue for house guests or business partners, or just plain be an annoyance to the staff, or my family. Do you know how desperate someone has to be to pit their own Pokémon in battles against each other to train them?! Because they have no one else around who cares like they do?'
'Oh, right, and my family maybe hates you, Penny, by the way, for no good reason. I kind of can't tell. I'm sure that's fine, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, there. That low-key trash-talking when you're not around, but making it sound polite crap? I'm sick of it. But I'm totally sure they'd be very cool with us dating, just as long as we did it in secret and no one knew about it and it couldn't impact my family's reputation in any way whatsoever.'
'And also, by the way, I have no Arceus-damn clue what I want to do with my life, in case you missed that, because I've been so obsessed with battling that I haven't developed 'career skills' as my Sis put it, which is part of why I'm still hanging around the Academy playing assistant to half the teachers... Maybe I could try to end up as an Instructor or something but I don't know if that's what I should even look into, because, again, I do not know what I want to do with my life!'
'Hope me being an aimless mess sounds attractive and cool! You want to date a possibly-autistic, definitely ADHD weirdo whose family just wants her shoved out of the way and who everybody on campus has something to gossip over but everybody pretends to like because I inherited my Father's sharp eyes and my Mother's pretty hair, and I have boobs and long eyelashes? Or maybe they pretend to like me because my family owns a fancy house, I'm desperate to please people, and my Pokémon can kick their Pokémon's asses? What if everybody's right and I really am 'yandere,' y'know? What if I get so attached to you, I get possessive, like I used to with my Rival? What if adding romance on top of that makes me get worse and I creep you out somehow without meaning to? Or what if the opposite happens? I hope you don't regret it when for all I know my attention gets caught up somewhere else or on someone else or something else and I hurt your feelings by accident with my stupid short attention span and my fucking messed up obsessive brain!'
'But yea, as long as none of that is a problem at all, sure, let's date – in secret.'
'Sound good?'
"... Urk-...? Nemona, what-...?! Are you... all right?"
Nemona was brought back out of her brain, where her body was struggling to breathe between sobs, curled up in a heap on Arven's couch.
Nemona's heart pounded against her chest like a caged Primeape slamming the bars. She'd gotten caught up in her own thoughts – something she was not used to, something that just didn't really happen, not before all of this time with Penny. And it hurt. It was painful. She didn't like this... but she knew it was necessary. Good for her, even. Like Sifu Bea would say about 'swallowing that bitter medicine to cure flaws', and stuff. Geeta had also given her a speech about 'personal growth' back when they'd talked about the role of La Primera. She mentioned how much personal growth could hurt, but was needed. And when Nemona had given her a confused look, Geeta had concluded with that ever-elderly phrase, 'You may not understand what I mean just yet... But you will, in time.'
Apparently, now was that 'time,' as all of these bottled up, locked away, hidden elsewhere doubts and fears and frustrations were tumbling out of her overstuffed mental closet and collapsing on her, like all the fancy clothes she'd outgrown and barely ever wore, still rotting away in a closet back home, avoided and untouched. Nemona was suddenly realizing why she'd get so pointed, so dismissive, when the topic of her family came up. Not because they hated her or even had done anything specifically wrong, but because their lack of interest in her interests reflected a disconnect that she thought had been such a good thing, but suddenly hurt so much when she realized just how disconnected she was from the rest of her family. And how it felt like it was too late to change that.
"Nemona?" Arven double-checked with concern.
"What?" Nemona croaked out, now noticing that her throat was gunky. And her nose was snotty. And her eyes were wet, and her cheeks were damp... "¿En serio?" she groaned, sitting upright. Ugh, had she seriously started crying? In front of Arven?! Talk about embarrassing! Like, literally the last person she wanted to be caught crying in front of...
But as Nemona shoved hair behind her shoulders, rubbing her water-resistant track jacket sleeves over her cheeks, Arven didn't ask questions. He set down a platter of sandwich slices he'd been working on while Nemona had been snivelling like a dumb Magby. Then, he sat down next to her, folding his hands together, against his knees.
Nemona tried to sniff in her goop, and choked a little on it. Arven awkwardly fumbled through his pockets, pulling out a handkerchief. Of course Arven carried a handkerchief around, the Scout that he was... Though Nemona had used to do the same, herself, some time ago...
At least Nemona was grateful that she hadn't been wearing makeup – one of many benefits of living outside of her family's watchful gaze. She wiped the handkerchief across her face, drying her cheeks, dabbing at her eyes, and blowing her nose.
"Yep. There ya go..." Arven encouraged her, palming her back cautiously.
She knew it was meant to make her feel comforted, but it was really just making her feel more embarrassed. Not his fault, though. She appreciated the gesture – she knew Arven wasn't the most keen on Nemona, and they butted heads a lot. So it was something to be reminded that despite their differences, the guy had become a decent friend to her, and hopefully that worked the other way around, too, much as she didn't focus on it. Yet another positive symptom of Penny's presence over time: Nemona was starting to think more in general, but especially when it came to the unsaid stuff, the people around her. She wasn't thinking of others as this collective 'them' to appease and 'do good' by, separated by that ever-imposing 'invisible wall' she dreaded. She was thinking of actual individuals and trying to cater to their needs when her attention span allowed it. Turned out, that worked the other way round, too.
"Thanks," she sighed out with a sniff, passing the handkerchief back. Arven grimaced at it.
"Maybe... just set it on the table, there." He pointed at the corner of the coffee table. "And wash up a bit before we eat."
"Mm." Nemona did as she was asked – it was totally different when it was because a friend offered help and comfort, and made a request, rather than being told and expected by default.
Nemona got up, feeling gross but even more hungry than before – those sandwiches smelled good, 'basic' or not. She headed for the sink, letting out a "Guh-" as she pushed hair off her cheeks. She washed up her hands at the sink, trying not to get too much water in her hair as she cleansed her face. She could feel her bouncy front bangs drooping a little from bits of water, and her entire face might as well have been drooping with how crummy she was feeling.
As she walked back to Arven's couch, hands clasped against opposing elbows, Nemona gave him a wary look. Like a child caught doing something bad, she glumly asked, "Aren't you... gonna ask what's wrong?"
Arven smirked with empathy up at her.
"Do you... want me to?" he posed, pushing his hair back to reveal both of his eyes. It really did help in conveying his concern.
Nemona paused, hovering above him. She bit at her lip and began twirling a finger through a slightly damp green bang.
"... Not really?" Nemona confessed, drizzling out a sigh as she slid down onto the couch with a cough. "Just-..." She gestured her hands around her head, clenching her fingers inward a bit as she frowned unpleasantly. "-... a lot going on up in here right now." Her arms slumped onto her thighs as her shoulders sagged.
"I get it," said Arven. "Well. Not exactly. I have no idea what kinds of problems a Class President, League Champion, Academy staffer, or rich girl have to deal with."
"They're nothing compared to what you've gone through," Nemona admitted with another sniff, suddenly feeling even more embarrassed, and adding guilt to the mix.
"Hey, now," Arven protested softly, "We've all got our own struggles."
"N-No, mine's just... stupid stuff. Don't worry about it. Seriously. Just me being dumb..."
At least Nemona had family. Had parents. And it wasn't like they were awful parents or anything, they weren't trying to control her like the way Penny's dad seemed to. They just didn't want her messing things up for them. That was reasonable, right? She'd spent most of her life selfishly pursuing this one end goal and she wasn't even the best at it. But it wasn't the end of the world by any stretch. Actually, this was pathetic, getting all upset over this! Other people had way bigger problems than she did. Other people had to struggle just to eat a decent meal! And here she was, freaking crying to herself because maybe her brain worked differently from other people, or something? Maybe she couldn't accomplish her goals as quickly as she liked? And they weren't even goals that mattered to most people, anyhow.
"Can't be that dumb if it has you crying over it," pointed out Arven, picking up his recently prepped platter and levelling it in front of her. She felt her lips twist into a pathetic shape as she grabbed a half-sandwich slice of hard-boiled egg and avocado and instantly went to town on it. "Agh, that came out wrong," Arven grunted. "I mean that if it makes you this upset, it must be important enough to get upset about."
"Mm mm-hmm," Nemona hummed out her acknowledgement through her chewing. 'Guau, eso es genial...' How did Arven manage to make even the simple stuff come together so tasty? Nemona swallowed, then re-stated, more clearly, "I get it, I get it. You're probably right."
"Obviously, and almost always," he repeated a phrase from earlier, smirking smugly.
"Ohhhh-kay," Nemona sighed out some playful dismissal, letting her head sag sideways as she sniffed a final bit of sobbing out of her system. She reached for another piece of sandwich, suddenly self-aware of her shakiness and how the food was going to help with that.
"I don't expect you to tell me your life story or anything," Arven put out there between bites. "But... You can't expect Penny to know what's on your mind if you don't tell her." He lifted his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "And I can say for a fact that she seems to be really, uh... deliberate, I guess I'd say? About what she's telling you, herself."
Nemona nodded at this, chewing on the yummy meal. She considered how both Arven and Penny probably dealt with very different kinds of 'family drama,' and very different kinds of expectations put on them. Penny's dad sounded crazy protective – would he even be all right with his daughter dating another girl? Or anyone in general, for that matter? She figured, probably, right? Given Penny's history? But either way, she wasn't certain. Penny's grades were improving, slowly, but not what they could be. And yet Penny was still swinging for the fences, here, because of how important it was to her. And Arven had to have made some kind of confession at some point himself – as much as Nemona adored her Rival, them being outspoken (or even very talkative in the first place) was not one of the reasons why. She didn't know the specifics, but she was sure Arven would've been the one to open that door.
"I ffink...-" Nemona swallowed. "-... a problem she and I are running into is, like... mmmaybe she's felt this way about me for a while? And it's gone over my head?"
Arven's arms crossed.
"Meanwhile, for you, this is like an out-of-left-field situation."
Nemona tipped her piece of sandwich toward Arven with a nod. "Exactly. She's probably had more time to... figure this stuff out, what she wants." She twirled her morsel of food in a circle upward as she said this, then pointed it at herself. "I'm barely staying on top of what to do with my entire life, let alone... a love life? I don't-... I don't know if I'll even have room for one by the new year, you know?"
"Personally, I'd say you make time for it if it matters to you," Arven advised, at last giving himself a bite of his own creation. "Even across distance. From what I can tell about my folks' history, they spent a decent amount of time apart with how busy they were. But that didn't stop them."
"Didn't stop them from having you, at least," Nemona said with a laugh through her nose. "What were they thinking?" She popped the last piece of her current sandwich into her mouth and tapped Arven's chest with the back of her wrist, leaning in for more.
Arven smiled in that distant way he would when the subject of his parents was brought up.
"I have no idea," he went along with Nemona's attempt at warm humor. But she could tell there was that tint of genuine questioning to the phrase.
Just then, the padding of big puppy toenails trickled toward them as Arven's Mabosstiff trudged in, looking very pleased with himself. Arven bent forward to grab his lifelong buddy and ruffle him good. It made Nemona realize that her pupper Pokémon, which she'd sent out to play with Mabosstiff, wasn't present. This caused her to start leaning around and looking for her: hm, not in the flat, but the door was still open.
Nemona let out a brisk, short, low whistle – two notes – which her Pokémon had been trained to recognize as a call from her. Her Lycanroc barked obediently from outside, and the familiar, muffled sounds of Penny being startled were instantly recognized by Nemona. Her stomach, still digesting food, suddenly went squeamish, and she feared if it'd all stay in her stomach...
"Venga, tío..." Nemona whimpered under her breath.
"Huh," said Arven, very conspicuously. "Is someone else here, Boy?" He was play-talking to his dog. "We have another guest?"
Nemona immediately realized it was Arven's doing that Penny just happened to have shown up.
Nemona hissed in a whisper at him, "Traitor."
"That's a weird way to pronounce 'good friend,'" Arven teased. "Or maybe I need to brush up on my Paldean... ?"
He wanted Paldean? She could give him some Paldean...
"¡Estúpido traidor mentiroso!" she growled at him, her eyes sparking defensively, nervously, as she smiled in a way that was both playful and deadly. "Estoy realmente cabreado. Debería darte un puñetazo en la cara..." She lifted a trembling fist at him, and he chuckled while his Mabosstiff gave her a suspicious side-eye, his lips ready to bare teeth at her threatening demeanor. This interaction was cut short by Lycanroc barks erupting from outside.
"Ulgh-!" Penny was frustrated, just out of sight."You're a Rock-type, not Water, how can you have this much saliva?!"
"Penny?" Arven called, unfazed by Nemona's threat. "That you out there?"
"Blech-! Since when do you even have a-... ? Ulgh! OK-OK, get offa me... !" Penny came stumbling into the door, awkwardly trying to avoid tripping over the Lycanroc. "Arven, when did you get a Lycan... -"
Penny and Nemona's eyes met for the first time since their fight the other night.
"... Oh." Penny's expression turned flat in an instant as she continued to wipe Lycanroc drool off herself.
While Nemona stared intently, Penny hurled her eyeballs into space, shoving her hands grumpily into her hoodie's pockets.
"Should've known this was a bloody ploy," she conceded flatly. "Eargh! I said,'get offa me,'" she suddenly snarled, flicking her hands to shoo away Nemona's Lycanroc, who was eager to see her. As the Pokémon whimpered up at Penny, she grumbled, "Not in the mood..."
Nemona avoided looking at Penny, a little miffed that her poor Pokémon was getting grumped on despite doing nothing wrong. She whistled her pupper 'mon over and gave her some reassuring pets while she mentally fumbled for what to do, here. She could just think of it like a battle, right? Unexpected things happened all the time. She'd gone into this conversation expecting one type match-up, and Arven had... Terrastallized it into one she was weak against. No big, happened all the time. Just had to pivot...
"Heh, y-yeah, I know what you mean..."
'UGH, maybe pivot BETTER, 'Mona?!'
"If it helps, Nemona had no idea you were coming, either," said Arven. "And I did make enough for all of us, so... -" He gestured at the platter, rising up from his seat.
Nemona hurriedly wiped sandwich sauce and crumbs from her face. She flashed an incredibly forced grin at her friend, who gave her a deadpan look.
"But... Uh, but we're-... I'm happy to see you?" Nemona dribbled out, trying to be optimistic.
"Why does that sound like a question?" Penny murmured dryly.
"Sandwiches," Arven reminded them, feeding two halves of one to both of the canine Pokémon present. "Food first, passive-aggressive-ness after."
"Th-They're good," Nemona feebly hyped them up, flailing for anything to move the social situation forward. That was something she'd picked up from her Big Sis: when stuck in any kind of social trap, the key was to push things forward, change topics, do whatever you could to play nice and move things along. It was a skill Nemona did not practice on purpose, but seemed to have stumbled her way into, anyway, by virtue of being unable to handle awkward vibes.
"Well," Penny sighed, approaching with caution. "If you set this up," she pointed at Arven with the same accusatory stance Nemona just had moments prior, "then it must mean there's a reason for it."
She glanced over to Nemona warily, who was stuffing her face with food. Nemona smiled back with nervous pleasantry, her cheek puffed up. Penny blinked at her, the corner of her mouth twisted up, and the faintest of laughs slipped out of her nostrils. But she masked this reaction and focused on getting some food for herself. Nemona was surprised she'd even noticed such a brief, tiny change of expression – but then, she was a lot more intent on paying attention to Penny lately...
"I'm just tired of being the middleman, is all," said Arven plainly. "I'm happy both of you want to confide in me, and everything, but I don't like seeing either of you like this. This? This is my way of helping."
A silence fell over the trio, with Nemona and Penny both awkwardly dodging anyone else's gazes.
"Weather's a bit nicer today than yesterday," Arven pointed out, a forced off-handed remark. "The view from the lighthouse is probably pretty good... A nice, quiet spot where two people could, oh, I don't know, have a heart-to-heart? In private?"
Nemona threw her eyes up and folded her arms over her chest so hard she pinched her bosom uncomfortably and had to readjust her arms underneath – a failed attempt at looking calm and standoffish. She could hear Penny sigh audibly, and couldn't help stealing a glance. Penny was looking at her, too! They instantly broke eye contact.
Arven sucked in a deep breath and heaved air out tiredly.
"Look, you're both here, you-"
"Te daré un puñetazo en la cara," Nemona repeated in a grumble, pouting her lips crossly.
"You're both here," Arven likewise repeated, giving Nemona a disappointed glance.
"What?" Penny muttered, raising a brow at Nemona. But Arven was trying to get them to focus.
"You might as well hash out whatever's going on."
Arven leaned over to pet the two canine Pokémon in front of him, lending a hand to scratching each one.
"Don't want to let things fester, isn't that right?" he said, converting his voice to 'demeaning dog-speak but actually I'm mocking the other humans in the room.' "That'd be silly. Yes, it would. Yes, it would..."He looked toward his loyal Mabosstiff, regaining a normal 'for humans' tone. "And this big boy knows what happens when you let things fester... So maybe take a cue from us and make things better before they get worse."
"Fine, fine, fine-fine-fine," snapped Penny in increasingly quick syllables, scratching her nails against her scalp. She darted off for the door. "Let's get this over with..."
The pissy pouting Nemona was putting on evaporated as she was left behind, her arms uncrossing as she got up. She paused, not wanting to make her Pokémon feel abandoned, and gave her Lycanroc a tousle across the head, careful to not cut herself on her sharp, stony spikes.
"Be back in a bit, girl," she said. Glancing to Arven, she asked, "Keep an eye on her for me, would ya?"
Arven nodded, assuring, "I'll keep an eye on your meal, too, heh."
He smiled up at her, and she tried to smile back, but it was half-hearted – not because of his efforts, even if she was frustrated by his tactic – but because she felt so uncertain, having this thrust at her so suddenly when she hadn't figured things out.
She followed Penny outside, and the pair climbed up the ladder. Each rung made her dizzier and dizzier...