"Are you sure you'll be ok, Cecilia? I just want to be sure…you're a good person, and I don't want to lose a friend right after I've met them."
"I'll be fine, Lorelei. It's not a long trip, anyway, and I had the day off, anyway. Besides, now I know that I'll be able to go see Maman! I'll be alright, I'll just be going to Viridian, and then on to Celadon. I promise, nothing bad will happen to me! I'm even going to be taking the bus to Celadon!"
"Mm, alright, but…stay safe. And call me when that mockup is done, I'm excited to see your work!"
Cecilia laughed, before waving goodbye to Lorelei and stepping into the taxi. She closed the door, and the taxi set off, driving down the mountain to Cecilia's home. It wasn't a particularly riveting drive; mostly just rocks and trees. It meant that Cecilia could, at least, focus on other things.
Things like the gala she was sure to attend that evening; the new Kalosian champion was in Kanto, so there would, of course, be several events and fancy parties to welcome her. If she remembered, the Kalosian Champion was an actress and was doing some sort of press tour for a film as well, so her friends were likely to beg their way into her good graces for an invitation. They were almost parasitic, but they weren't outright rude, at least. And Cecilia barely had anything they could use against her; she worked a stable and respectable job and was making headway in a competitive industry, she had a decent relationship with her family, and she took lavish vacations to Kalos yearly. She even had friends in the social elite of other regions, which was more than her socialite friends could say.
She rolled her wrist as she looked down at Calla's Pokéball and hummed. She supposed that her not having a fully evolved team could be an item of gossip, but…considering Peepo needed a stone to evolve into a Gallade, it wasn't uncommon to wait until an event to get one. Those evolution stones were expensive, and there would probably be an event at Evolution Mountain later in the year. Peepo had only recently expressed interest in evolving, anyway, and Calla had long since evolved from a Petilil. Besides, it wasn't like her friends had full teams. Most of them only had one or two companions, and she was reasonably certain that none of them particularly cared for their Pokémon; they treated them as pets and nothing more.
Once the taxi finally stopped, Cecilia practically threw herself out of it and rushed into her apartment; it was barely big enough for one person to live comfortably, but it was home. She didn't own a lot, either way; most of her sewing things were at the shop, and her two 'mons were small enough to fit in the apartment most of the time, aside from the rare occasion she had visitors, though said visitors were almost always her older brother, Hugo.
She grabbed the bag she'd packed for her visit and dumped the bag she'd brought to the Plateau on the kitchen island, before locking up the apartment and hurrying to the bus stop; she'd miss it if she didn't.
Finally, after hours of travel (not really, it had been two hours and she had slept for the majority of it), she arrived in Celadon City, and there, standing in the bus terminal, was her older brother, Hugo.
"Cece, you're here! I wasn't sure you'd make the bus in time!" He let out a laugh, before opening his arms up for a hug. "C'mere, I've missed you! It's been a while, hasn't it?"
She scoffed quietly, but leaned into his embrace. "We'd see each other more often if you actually called before going on your business trips. Where have you been, anyway? Last we talked, you were in fucking Johto, and now you're back here?"
He laughed, before patting her head. "Ah, we can talk more when we get to Maman's. Father landed pretty early this morning, so he's probably still sleeping. Time difference, you know?"
She nodded as he started leading her to his car; a silver hatchback that he'd had for years, and whenever someone suggested he replace the old thing (seriously, that car had more health issues than her ancient landlord), he would blow up about how good and reliable it is. She reached over to fluff his hair as she slipped into the front seat and he started the car.
"Are you seriously dying it green? I thought you hated maintaining dyed hair, after the purple dye faded." She was just teasing him, but she did hate that colour on him; he'd looked good back when he'd gone purple, but that had gone out the window fairly quickly. He'd look better with red, or even a dark blue, but not green.
"Shut up, it was for a bet. Arthur said I wouldn't do it, and Luca said he'd pay me about a thousand if I did it. So I did it." He gestured one-handedly, while still keeping his eyes on the road; it wasn't a long drive to Maman's house, but the traffic tended to be worse going into the city than it was coming out at this time of day.
The car stopped in front of the house and she laughed as she swung open the door and hopped out. "How is Maman, anyway? Or did you just drive from the airport to the bus terminal without saying hello?"
He got out and grinned at her, before grabbing her luggage from the boot of the car. "She's great! She started taking a perfume-making class with Erika, apparently, and there's a gala tonight. She mentioned wanting us to go, but I'm a bit jetlagged, so I'll sit this one out."
"That and your hair?"
"That and the hair. Believe me, I regret it now, but…you know what I'm like when I'm tipsy. Not the best vehicle for smart cosmetic decisions. At least it wasn't a tattoo, like what Luca got. I think Ari was the only one of us who didn't do something ungodly to her body, because Arthur got his ears pierced. He probably took them out pretty quickly though, because Xerneas knows he can't mess up his 'perfect image' or whatever."
They finally entered the house, and Cecilia rushed to embrace their mother.
Cecilia loved Maman. Maman had always given wonderful hugs–which must've been something that Hugo inherited–and Cecilia loved them. She loved her Maman's perfume, too; a scent she got shipped in from Kalos three times a year. She adored everything about her Maman; the clothes, the hugs, the smell, everything.
So when her Maman told her over the phone that there'd be a gala that night, as a welcome for the Champion of Kalos' tour of Kanto, she was ecstatic. Normally, Cecilia was neutral about galas. The clothes itched, the people were catty and rude or drunk out of their minds, and she didn't get to talk to anyone she knew because her friends were all off mingling. But that was when she went with Father. When she was with Maman, they were much more enjoyable. Perhaps it was her Maman's taste in dresses, but the ones her Maman had always suggested were far nicer; less tacky, nicer fabrics, and often shipped in from Lumiose City. That meant that, when she went to a gala with Maman (and sometimes with Father too), the dress was always the most fashionable dress there; last time, it had been a wonderful blue ensemble with a drop-waist and delicate lace, but that had been themed. This gala wasn't, and her Maman had, with her consent, ordered a lovely dress of red velvet. It was probably one of her favourite dresses she'd ever worn for a gala, second only to the dress she'd been given for her eighteenth; that one had been blue, with a pattern of constellations all over the skirt. She adored that dress, and she was keeping it for another special occasion. If she ever got engaged, perhaps an engagement party? She'd purchased a bolt of the fabric when she'd purchased the dress so she could alter it if necessary, and she was sure she could talk Elesa into helping out with any alterations she might decide on. Elesa had the best suggestions, and while they rarely talked in person, she could always rely on her best friend to help out when she had artist's block.
"Ah, ma chérie, you're here! Wonderful, wonderful! And Hugo, mon chou, it has been so long! How was your trip to Johto? Did you have a nice time? And Cecilia, how has work been? You've been designing your own line, non? The last designs you showed me were simply fabulous!"
The trio were sat in the sunroom, with tea that Maman had practically strong-armed Hugo into accepting. Cecilia didn't mind it, as it was one of her favourite kinds (black tea, with some Pecha juice), and simply sipped at it while she listened to her mother speak.
"Ah, Johto was wonderful. Perfect weather for it. We started in Azalea Town, before we nipped to Goldenrod for a few meetings and then had to run up north to check on things in Mahogany Town. But everything was going smoothly, and we got everything we needed done."
Maman nodded, before turning to Cecilia. "And you? How's work going? Any daring commissions?"
Cecilia grinned and nodded. "Yes, actually! I've been commissioned by one of the Elite Four. It's a gown, for the Anniversary Ball in two months. And I've started production on my own line. It's going well for me, I'd say!"
Maman nodded, before taking another sip of her tea. "Well, you'll have to tell me how that goes for you. Now, Kaede only arrived home this morning, so he's rather tired from his trip and won't be joining us tonight, but I'm sure you both will be coming to the gala tonight."
Hugo shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately, I've got a rather large amount of work to do, and I'm rather tired, so I'll have to say no for tonight. But next time, for sure."
Maman nodded and reached over to pat his cheek. "I'll tell your friends you said hello, if I see them. Now, Hugo, go and rest. You look dead on your feet. Ay, Je savais que j'aurais dû aller chercher Cecilia à la place..."
"So, who else is going to be there, Maman? It's for Champion Diantha, right? So will the Elite Four be there, or is it more aimed towards her acting, rather than her duties as a new champion? She's doing a press tour for one of her films, too, isn't she?"