Paralogue 7

Under a Starry Night

"Man…the sky's pretty bright tonight, isn't it?"

"You can say that again. It's so pretty…"

Team Elpis watched the night sky above them. It was a clear night, with not a cloud in the sky. Upon the nighttime canvas, an array of stars twinkled brightly, along with a gleaming crescent moon.

Right now, they were sprawled out on a beach. But not just any beach. A very familiar place - it was upon that shoreline that these two souls had their fateful encounter. The crashing of the waves brought Elvira back to that day, and she sighed happily, remembering the time she found her partner, washed up on these shores.

"Look there, Elvira." Arian pointed to the sky. "That star there - that's a bit of an odd one, isn't it?"

"That's the Crux of Jirachi," Elvira told him. "It's a lucky star. They say those born under this star will lead lucky lives going forth."

"I bet any money that's just folktale rubbish," Arian said.

"Mmm, probably," the Treecko murmured. "But it's still believed in some circles. There's plenty of other constellations, like Entei's Mane, Cobalion's Horn and the Creator's Cross-Wheel. I don't know them all, but Dad knew some of them. We have a book on them back at the house."

"It's not as though we have to know them all," Arian replied. "It's a bunch of pretty stars. That's all we need. Who cares about the details?"

"...You have a point, Arian," Elvira said, with a mild giggle. "Let's just lie here and enjoy the beauty of the night sky."

And so they did. Accompanying the beautiful view was the sound of crashing waves against the shore, which provided soothing breaks to the silence.

"You know…loving couples tend to confess to one another on nights like these." Elvira broke the silence. "Dad told me once that it was a night like this that he told Mom he wanted to marry her. And I'm sure there's many more couples that can say the same."

The Treecko turned her gaze to Arian. "Maybe a lot of future couples might plan the same thing. Eh, Arian?" She then gave him a playful wink.

"W-Wait! E-Elvira…" Arian caught the look in her eye. "Are you saying-?!"

"Hee hee! No, Arian!" the Treecko giggled. "I'm only joking!"

"Oh, thank God." Arian breathed a sigh of relief. "For a second, I thought you were gonna pull out a ring and ask me to marry you."

"Arian!" Elvira laughed. "No, I wouldn't be able to do that. I'd be quivering like a Snorunt at the thought of it!"

The two had a good laugh, before laying back down and gazing up at the starry night.

"Well…I don't know about marriage," Elvira began again. "But Arian…you do mean a lot to me. Really. With you by my side, I've met so many people and actually worked towards making a difference in people's lives. As a mercenary, that's always what I've wanted to do."

"Well, uh, thanks." Arian scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm glad I could help you in that way. And hey - thanks to you. I don't even know where I'd be without you."

"In the Thorned Roses, perhaps."

"Oh dear, I don't want to imagine that." Arian shuddered at the thought.

"No, indeed," Elvira chuckled. "Good thing they're not around anymore."

"You bet."

They stared at the sky in silence once more. The sound of the waves was calm to the ears, and the sand was soft and comfortable, enough for Arian to think it was almost bed-like.

…Ehh. Maybe not that comfortable. Besides, I don't want Zenobia to worry if we stay out here too late.

"Right, Elvira. Should we head back?" Arian said, as he began to get up. He looked over at his partner, before blinking in surprise.

His partner's eyes were closed, and she was breathing softly, in and out.

She fell asleep? Dang. Wasn't expecting that. Still, though…best to get her home.

But looking upon her sleeping form, Arian felt a twinge of guilt. She looks so peaceful. I don't wanna disturb her.

He considered his options, before an idea came to him.

He went over to her, put his paws under her, and lifted her up into his arms.

Urk. Heavier than I thought. Still, the Riolu didn't jostle her too much, so as not to wake her.

Slowly but surely, Arian made his way off the beach, carrying the slumbering Elvira in his paws. He looked at the Treecko, and a smile crept across his muzzle.

…You mean a lot to me too, Elvira. Thanks for being my partner. I couldn't have asked for anyone better.

Notes

This short fluff piece is largely inspired by similar short fluff pieces written by a few of my writer friends over at the PMD Writers' Union Discord. DoomHuntley was the one that started it all, and a few others such as Gyeig and Turkeyuwu have written their own fluff. I decided to join in on the fun and write this piece, while also showing it off here in my Paralogues.