Misty ocean spray filled the morning air, as a ship cut its way through calm waters, onwards towards its destination: The canal city of Alto Mare. The outline of the city's skyline was like a warm face at the end of a long journey— Familiar, comforting. It soothed the nerves of the figure at the head of the ferry's deck, who smiled as they held their hat against the blowing wind.
It had been a long time since they'd been here, too long, they thought. Breathing a happy sigh, the traveler leaned against the railing of the ferry, watching the ship cross into the city's harbor. The outstretched arms of the bay felt like a soft hug, pulling them in as they came in to dock.
Just moments after the ship landed, its lonely traveler hopped off the deck, waving goodbye to the ferryman and heading off.
They were back, truly back.
As the traveler stepped onto the algae-aged stone walkway of the city proper, a local passerby paused, eyes widening for a moment before they called out.
"Oh hey! Welcome back!" The local was clad in a beret they quickly pulled off, grabbing the attention of the traveler as they approached. "It's been far too long since you've visited!"
The traveler smiled, reaching for their own hat and pulling it off in turn. As the salty sea wind blew freely through their hair, they let out a sigh of relief.
"It's good to be home."
"Welcome back, Bianca."
The more Alto Mare changed, the more it seemed to stay the same. That was the thought on Bianca's mind as she walked the late morning streets of the city, taking in the familiar and not-so-familiar sights of her home.
There were so many new faces in the crowd, yet enough familiar ones to notice her and say hello. The canal walkway had definitely been cleaned at some point, the old stone having a new shine that stood out in the morning light. Still though, it was the same old concrete.
And the old flower shop! Bianca paused for that one, looking at the boarded up storefront for a moment before continuing. It seemed it had finally closed down, leaving little in its wake but a note promising "something new coming soon." She snorted at that, having an aching suspicion a new flower shop would open there soon enough.
Good old Alto Mare— Even when things changed, it all stayed the same.
Glancing up for a moment, Bianca caught the sight of a subtle red streak high up in the air, circling above her with an excited sort of energy. Yep, still the same. Chuckling, she stepped off the main canal pathway and made her way deeper into the city's winding alleyways. She needed to find somewhere more quiet, and a heck of a lot more private.
A few moments later, she entered a clear alley, just as the winds began to shift.
"Latiaaaaaas," she called out, looking to her left and right. She found a long unwinding path, one of the few straight alleys in the whole city. It felt more like a runway than anything.
At that thought, the winds picked up, forcing Bianca to shield her eyes against it.
"Latias!" she called out, half-laughing and half-peeved. "Do you always have to do this?!"
All at once, the wind parted, as Bianca began to hear a voice down the alleyway.
"Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—" It was like a jet taking off, not in volume, but in timbre, which was appropriate considering who it was.
"Oh no— No, no, no!" Still laughing, Bianca turned and began running in the opposite direction. "Latias! Don't you dare—!"
"—iiianca!" With that excited shout, Latias blasted through the thin alley street, knocking Bianca right off her feet and scooping her up in one motion. In the blink of an eye, the two shot up high above the city, heralded by a loud cheer and incredulous laughter.
"You're here! You're here! You're here!" Latias shouted, spinning in circles as Bianca held on for dear life, watching the city turning down below her.
"Yes, I'm here! And I'm going to be sick if you don't put me doooooown!"
At the word, Latias zipped down to the city again, expertly traversing the back alleys and empty waterways to reach her target. Just as quickly she had swept Bianca off her feet, Latias deposited her onto the ground.
Bianca stumbled for a moment, grabbing the familiar front door of her home for support as she waited for her stomach to catch up with the rest of her. It'd been a good few months since she'd been on Air Latias, and she was quickly remembering why she stopped buying tickets.
"Ah jeeze, you look sick," Latias said, floating around Bianca with a nervous sort of energy. Her eyes would occasionally dart up and down the canal walkway. "Are you okay? I can take you to—"
Bianca threw up a hand.
"I'm— fine, I'm fine, promise," she stammered, taking a deep breath and standing straight. After a moment, she let the breath go and gave Latias an assured smile to calm her. "I'm just, not used to being home, is all. Hah."
Digging through her satchel after a moment, Bianca pulled out something she hadn't had a chance to use in quite some time: her keys, covered in a fine layer of pencil lead dust and splotches of paint. It'd be a minor miracle if it could even open this door still.
"So! How have things been while I've been gone? Hope you and Grandpa haven't been throwing parties while I was away," she half-asked and half-joked, just barely managing to get the door open and stepping inside. Latias followed close behind, giggling but keeping a steady eye out behind her. Only after the door was closed did she finally seem to relax.
"Still keeping up with your patrols?" Bianca further asked as she went into the house, taking a moment to take it all in. She could tell Lorenzo was here earlier, the distinct scent of wood shavings that followed him everywhere was still familiar to her. "Or did you finally start getting lazy again and blow them off?"
Bianca glanced back and stuck her tongue out at Latias, who huffed with annoyance.
"Hey! I take offense to that!" Latias said with a pout, earning a giggle from Bianca as she set her bag down on the table by the door.
"Take offense to that…" she repeated, tapping her finger against her cheek. "Your speech has improved!"
Turning in place, Bianca faced Latias head on.
"You've been practicing, good on you!" she commended, ruffling the feathery down on Latias's head and turning her pout into a giggling grin. As Bianca finished, Latias let out a happy chirp.
"Of course I have been practicing! Not like I have a lot to do here while you're gone," Latias replied, grinning ear to ear as Bianca turned back to her bag. Latias couldn't see it, but for a moment, Bianca's smile became a frown.
She's still waiting, huh?
Taking a deep breath, Bianca faced Latias, putting on a grin as she grabbed onto her hand.
"Come on, let's go do something!"
Latias and Bianca walked down an open street of Alto Mare, the latter strolling the familiar canal paths with a relaxed pace while the former floated nervously overhead. Occasionally, Bianca would glance up to where she knew Latias was, trying her best to get a read on her friend despite the invisibility. It seemed Latias had the cover on tight today. Usually Bianca could spot some distortions in the light, some signs Latias was there.
Not today, though. Today, Bianca couldn't spot her, and neither could the rest of Alto Mare.
"Goldenrod was okay, I just wish we got to cover more than the fundamentals," Bianca explained with a half annoyed grumble. "I got soooo bored halfway through the semester. Draw this Pichu, draw this Togepi, draw this Hoothoot."
"Now draw it when it sleeps," Latias managed to add with a giggle, earning a laugh from Bianca.
"Heh, well, hopefully when we start back up next month, I'll get to really learn something new, push myself," she continued, turning her eyes up to the clear skies above. "So I can finally find what I went looking for."
The winds shifted for a moment, as Bianca felt Latias float in front of her.
"Ooooh do you have to leave again? Alto Mare is so boring when you're not around!" Latias asked, throwing her voice somewhat to not give away her position. Bianca snorted.
"Heh, well, I guess I am the life of the party around here."
A passerby gave Bianca an odd look as she said that— understandable considering to them, Bianca was saying it to herself.
Grimacing, Bianca pushed ahead, glancing back in hope of catching even a peek of her friend.
Nothing.
"Are you really sure you can't join me down here?" she asked. "I can't believe I'm asking you to copy my look again, but anything beats looking psychotic talking to myself."
"Wouldn't you still be talking to yourself if I joined you?" Latias put off the suggestion with a laugh as she followed Bianca close behind.
"True," Bianca faltered for a moment, Latias's hesitation standing out to her. Things still haven't improved. "Still, come on. I miss walking along with my sister."
Latias remained silent with her hesitation, a bad look for her, Bianca would say. She'd been saying that for a while now, however.
"I—"
"Hey, it's okay," Bianca assured, stopping and shooting Latias a smile, wherever she was. "We don't have to start here. Come on, I've got an idea of what we can do."
So, before Latias could get a word in edgewise, Bianca turned and bolted, earning an inquisitive 'huh' from Latias. After a moment, she began flying after her
The wide open area of the city's central canal streets gave way immediately to the tight winding alleys of the city proper. The road here was often no wider than two could walk abreast, with split paths after tiny walkways making the urban sprawl a practical maze. A tourist could be lost here for hours.
Bianca, however, was no tourist.
Diving around a corner with a giggle, Bianca expertly kept a good pace ahead of Latias— An impressive feat considering how much faster Latias was. Yet, where Latias beat her in the speed department, she'd never know the twists and turns of their home city like Bianca did. Bianca never had the option of flying right over them.
"Biancaaaaa, where are we going?" Latias called, going just fast enough so no passerby could wonder who had said that.
"It's a surprise!" Bianca shouted back, rounding a tight corner and sliding through a loose metal barrier dividing two sections of the city. Now they were out of the tourist district.
"Hey, that's my line!" With a grumpy huff, Latias accelerated after Bianca, flying over the metal gate and catching up a moment later.
She caught up just as Bianca skidded to a stop.
The intimate paths of the city's urban center fell away to a small open air plaza —a familiar sight to the both of them— with shops bordering the far back wall from where they stood. Bianca smiled as she stepped forward and looked back.
"I bet you miss this place," she called, keeping her voice lower in the busy town square. With a confident stroll, she approached a very particular shop bearing hand-painted signs. "Leonardo's!"
The scent of heavenly sweets wafted through the air at Bianca's call, nocciola and cioccolato gelato gripping her and Latias's attention first and foremost. Latias herself quite literally floated towards the shop without a second thought, before freezing and pulling back. She shivered as her invisibility ripple for a moment in her distraction.
Shaking her head free of the tempting smells, Latias called out.
"You still remember Leo's?" she asked with a laugh, keeping her voice low as she slipped into the crowd.
Yet, Bianca didn't respond to Latias. She was too close to the clerk of the gelato shop to talk to herself with impunity now.
"Heyyyy, painter girl! Long time, almost no see," the shop clerk said, perking up as he saw Bianca approach. "Where have you been, oh Picasso dell'Alto Mare?"
"School, Leo. Trying to actually live up to that title," Bianca answered with a cheeky smile, putting her hands on the wooden counter separating the two of them. "Now, let's talk about how you can live up to your title."
Latias watched as Bianca and the store clerk chatted, exchanging laughs between themselves while the clerk stepped back into the shop. After a few moments, he returned, handing over two cups of gelato and waving Bianca off.
"Tada! A good ole sweet run," Bianca said, raising a cup up while she searched for Latias. "Just like old times."
Despite her rather enthusiastic offer, Latias didn't take the cup.
"Ah, maybe, next time. You can have it," she sputtered out all at once, turning away from the sweet treat. Bianca could hear Latias begin to drift off, seemingly too many eyes looking in her general direction now.
"Come oooon, are you really going to make me eat both of these?" Bianca shot back, wiggling the sweet treat in the air. "Even this nocciola?"
Good job, Bianca, bait her with her favorite flavour.
Latias huffed, the agreeable demeanor in her voice fading. "That's really mean, Bianca. You know I can't."
Good job Bianca, you baited her with her favorite flavour.
Frowning, Bianca pushed the gelato more.
"Come on, just one bite? Right from my hand like you used to." Bianca tried her best to put on a warm welcoming look, but Latias didn't budge, not one bit. To add to that, things were getting awkward now, as a few passersby were giving Bianca a side eye. They couldn't stick around here much longer. Groaning, Bianca threw her hands down. "Come on, let's get out of here."
With a frustrated huff, Bianca found the nearest alley exit and took it, hearing Latias catch up without much trouble after a few moments.
The open public square disappeared almost immediately, giving way to the tight alley streets that bordered the homes of Alto Mare. In a way it was a relief, the path being so cramped. It meant Bianca could speak openly, without a worry of a passerby spotting Latias.
Yet, as much as the change in venue was a relief, it was almost somewhat off putting as well.
The silence was unnerving.
"What was that about?" Latias asked, the quiet of the alley quickly becoming too much for her.
Bianca felt her arm clench.
"I don't know, Latias." The frustration in her voice was there, but petering out. It was sad to say, but she'd grown used to this. "I'm just trying to make things better, but I don't know how."
"Make things better?" Latias snorted as she floated forward, nudging against Bianca and nuzzling her for a moment. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Bianca answered with a huff, turning and not finding Latias behind her. Still invisible. "About all, this."
Latias didn't respond, making Bianca wonder for a moment if she was still there. Of course, she knew she was. Latias was always there— She never leaves.
She never leaves.
"Look at yourself, Latias. You didn't used to be like this," Bianca explained, the frustration in her voice melting into a solemn whisper. "You used to be so open, and care-free. Now I come home every few months and you're more of a nervous mess than I leave you."
Bianca shook her head as thoughts came bubbling up.
"You! A nervous mess!" With a huff, she turned, leaving her bewilderment in the air behind her before she continued on down the narrow alley.
That was, until a gust of wind pushed her back. Bianca felt Latias fly forward and get in front of her.
"Hey, that's mean! I wouldn't be like this if you were not gone for so long," she shot back, surprising Bianca with her tenacity. Where was that nervousness from before? "You know things are easier for me when you're around."
Bianca paused at that, trying desperately to see the friend she was arguing with. When Latias's invisibility didn't falter, however, Bianca herself did. She groaned, letting frustration cross her face in a way she didn't want it.
"Latias, I can't stay here forever," she let out, before pushing forward, past Latias and down the tight, choking, alley again.
"Why not!" Latias asked as she pursued close behind. "That was the plan, wasn't it? You finish school, and then you come back for good!"
Turning a corner to what she could swear was an even tighter alley, Bianca sighed.
"Because— Because," she started, looking at the midafternoon sunlight trickling in from above. "Because—"
Bianca turned back to face Latias, to look her in the eye when she answered. Yet, once again she was faced with the reality that that wasn't going to happen.
"Latias— Can you please drop the cloak for a second, and let me see you?" Bianca pleaded, holding her hands up to her chest as she let it out. The frustration in her voice was pitched and raw. "I want to spend some time with you, and I can't even see you."
"What— I—"
Bianca could hear the way Latias was startled, both in her voice and her mind. Her invisibility actually faltered for a moment there, before she pulled the cloak back on tight.
"I'm sorry, I can't," she said in a flat, almost cold tone. To Bianca, there wasn't an ounce of sympathy in her voice, not a morsel of empathy for her friend's pleas.
The thought of that lit a fire in Bianca.
"Why not?! What are you afraid of!" Bianca called out, clenching her fists and throwing her hands down. "There's no one here but you and me!"
Motioning back and forth down the tight alley, Bianca made her point incredibly clear.
"I—"
"We're alone, there's no one here, there's no danger, just me!" Bianca pleaded, reaching forward and trying to hold Latias's hand. Yet, all she found was empty air— Latias had pulled back. Clenching her fists, Bianca called out. "You never used to be like this— Please Latias, just open up to me!"
For the first time in the whole conversation, Bianca's words echoed down the winding streets of Alto Mare, the message ringing back at her as she stared at the open air where she believed Latias was. Was she still there? Or had Latias finally left her side? For just a moment, Bianca almost believed it to be true. Yet, when Latias's invisibility began to falter, she almost wished Latias had left.
Maybe then she wouldn't have to see the look of sadness on her friend's face.
Emptiness. There was a cold emptiness where Latias's spirit should have been. It was no passionate sorrow from misfortune, where Bianca could see some hope for it to end. It was just a sad void where Latias's smile was supposed to be.
"Latias…" Bianca barely managed to let out a whimper, before Latias allowed the last of her protection slip away. Now it truly was just the two of them.
Without another word, Latias floated forward, slipping past Bianca and continuing down to the end of the alley. After a moment, Bianca followed.
"Latias, I—" The calm shade of the thin walkway gave way to the harsh sun of another plaza, as Bianca let her eyes adjust for a moment. "I'm—"
And then, Bianca paused, the new location settling in for a moment.
It was a crossroads plaza, not an area where one went to specifically, but the intersection of several roads and pathways, helping interconnect the city's many winding streets. It even had a small canal cut through it, for transporting small goods from the inside of the city, outwards. To the right was a series of stairways, to the left, a small bench and greenery. Finally, ahead of her stood a lone water fountain, with Latias looking on from overhead.
To Bianca, it was just another plaza, just another fountain. Yet, she knew, to Latias it was something much more.
It was where Latias had met him.
Latias looked upon the fountain without a word, not a twitch or movement to her beyond the gentle bobbing of her levitation, up and down. The nervous checking for leering eyes had stopped. The two stood there for a moment in the calm, open silence, neither of them saying a word. Latias looked onto the fountain, and Bianca looked onto Latias.
After a few moments more, Latias tore her gaze away, snorting under her breath before she approached a bench by a nearby wall. She took a rough approximation of a seat before motioning Bianca over with a motion of her head.
Bianca, however, stood still, squeezing her hand with apprehension. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
Finally, Latias rolled her eyes and called out.
"Get over here, dork. I miss sitting with my sister," she explained, giving off what seemed like the first genuine laugh in a long time. After a moment's hesitation, Bianaca nodded, before approaching and sitting down.
The two sat there for a good while, not saying anything, yet also not feeling like anything had to be said. Not yet, at least. They'd enjoy the quiet moment, listening to the distant chirping of Pidgey and the trickling babble of the canal.
Soon enough, the sun was close to dipping behind the buildings ahead of them.
"I'm sorry." Bianca spoke up first, looking to Latias before down to the space between them. Try as she might, the shame kept her from looking her friend in the eye.
"Don't be," Latias reassured, waving her arm as she let out a wistful sigh. "I have been waiting months for you to get back, and all I did when you were here was hide."
"Still, I'm sorry for blowing up." Bianca leaned back on the bench, glancing to the path the two had entered from. Was she the one who was anxiously watching out for onlookers now? "I pushed you too hard."
"Heh, yeah you did," Latias replied, leaning over and nudging Bianca's arm. After a moment, Bianca smiled and gave Latias a head rub. Purring under the touch, Latias let out a happy sigh. "I am sorry for hiding."
Snorting, Bianca gave Latias a good rub before she pulled back to her spot on the bench.
"Well, it doesn't look like you're hiding now," she said, looking over again, finding Latias relaxed as she settled into her seat. She had pulled her arms in and nested in place. "What's up with that?"
"I am not sure," Latias replied, satisfied with her own answer. "When I am here, I feel okay. Like I am in the garden."
The garden. The old hidden grotto from Bianca's childhood. It'd been months since Bianca had seen the inside of that sanctuary, and for a moment in time, her heart panged for it. The moment passed, however, and Bianca's mind returned to the then and now, to Latias and the crossroad plaza.
The two sat in the calm quiet for a while, assured that, for at least now, things were okay.
With the sun well below the horizon, the streets of Alto Mare grew dim, lit only by the occasional sulfur lamp light dotting the canal. It was here that Latias could feel safe, for at least just a while.
Little giggles echoed down the empty canal walkway, as Bianca watched her mirror image skip from one side of the stone path to the other, stopping only to gaze across the water like it was her first time. It'd been a long while since Latias had seen Alto Mare from Bianca's eyes, she felt. A long time indeed.
Forever, it felt like.
"Hey, Latias," Bianca called, keeping her voice down for her friend's sake.
"Hm?" At her word, Latias paused and listened, but didn't turn. Instead, she crouched down at the path's edge, looking down to the water below.
Bianca paused at that, approaching and going over the words in her head. A moment passed as Bianca looked down into the water herself, at her reflection standing next to her friend's.
"Do you, still think about him?" To Bianca, the question left the whole city quiet, laid it still by the implication. Yet, with a snort and nod from Latias, it all came back to Bianca. The question had left her silent, not the city.
It almost felt silly now.
"I try not to. Thinking about him, it— Oh, what is the word?" Seemed Latias still needed some practice with her speaking.
"It keeps your head in the clouds?" Bianca suggested, seeing Latias's face light up in the water. Or, was that Bianca's face?
"Yeah, that!" she exclaimed, satisfied for a moment, before the satisfaction drained away. "...I need to stop daydreaming about things like that, the idea of…"
Bianca could hear it, could see it, the pain in Latias, the pain that kept away the end of the thought. After a moment, Latias shook her head, and the pain was gone.
Or, was that Bianca herself again?
"It is okay though! I have got everything I need right here at home!" Latias said, turning from her reflection and facing Bianca. "Lorenzo, you, the garden, what else could I need, right?"
Bianca looked on at Latias, who gave her this confident proud sort of look, a look that exuded everything Bianca knew of her best friend. Her cheeriness, her carefree attitude, her free spirit. It was all there on her face, clear as day, obvious and loud.
Too obvious.
Bianca looked away from Latias, back down to her reflection and then up to Alto Mare proper. Her mind played back the day, everything the two had gotten up to in their reunion, and the thought that underlied it all in her head— The thought that had been stewing in Bianca for a long time now.
Latias was lying.
Now, Bianca would too.
"Yeah, you've got everything you need, right here."
End of Chapter 2