Hey everybody.
Sorry for the serious delay. Last year got away from me a bit. To be fair, I did finish my masters degree, write my thesis, get a new job, and move across the country so I was a little busy. Also blame FFN for why Ao3 got this chapter yesterday. FFN wouldn't let me post from my phone, so you guys got this a lot later. My bad.
But despite that we have now reached the final chapter of *The Dreamstone* and I honestly don't know what to say. I've been working on the project, almost nonstop, for almost a decade. Slink, Eve, and Vix have been a part of my life for more time than most people, and I'm glad I finally get to give them the happy ending they deserve... mostly.
Final round of thank yous for Dreamstone. First, as always, deerest_love thank you so much for editing and beta-reading the majority of this story. There is zero chance any of these chapters would be a 10th as good as they are without your help. I really appreciate it, friend.
And with that, here we go. Into the end. I hope you have enjoyed the story, and here is to a bright future for everyone.
Two Years Later
Skittering footsteps echoed through the hall, like driving rain against a window, but mixed with the rapid clicks and dry scratching of claws against wood. It was quite a unique sound, one that I'm sure most parents would recognize.
The desperate sounds of a child that was up way past their bedtime.
My own footfalls came slower and steadier. I was moving at an easy lope, conserving my energy as best I could. It was practically required to keep up with the boundless ball of energy I was chasing. I could feel myself slowing down anyway, but just one of my steps covered three of theirs, so even when I saw a bushy tail disappear around a corner, I followed only a second or two behind.
The sound faded away as my quarry bolted across the rug in the living room, heading for the low table in the center. I gritted my teeth, pushing my body harder. This wasn't our first lap of the house, and they'd tried this tactic before. If I was going to catch them, it had to be now. The tail vanished again, slipping beneath the table. I surged forward, circling the table and arriving on the other side just in time to watch a pair of pointed ears and a tiny black nose emerge from below. The nose twitched and the ears flicked for a second before their owner slipped out from underneath, about to sprint away.
As soon as I saw them, I lunged forward. My paws slid across the floor, but I kept my legs and claws braced, ready to dig in at any moment. I held my neck stretched out, painfully so, desperately trying to reach just a little bit farther.
I felt fur brush against my tongue. In an instant, my whole body snapped to action. My claws digging into the wooden floor, my legs pushing to bring my momentum to a halt. I bit down, quickly but gently, feeling a burst of excitement as my teeth grabbed onto skin and muscle beneath all of the thick fur. Like a feral Cramorant I reeled in my catch, unbothered by their wriggling attempts to escape.
"No, no. Papa, no!" Their small voice cried as they kicked and twisted in my grip.
"Alister," I scolded, doing my best to hide how hard I was panting, "it is time to settle down. As soon as your mom is done upstairs it is bedtime."
"But I'm not sleepy," the kit whined, going limp in my grip, tail curled up to his chest and ears drooping.
"Give it five minutes," I sighed. "If you settle down for a bit, you'll feel sleepy. I promise." I'd run just as far as he had, and I was absolutely ready for bed. Unfortunately, there was still too much to do tonight. The overexcited little bundle of fur in my teeth was just the first obstacle, albeit a particularly exhausting one.
I hauled the little fox over to the couch, leaping back up into the spot I'd been occupying before someone had decided to lead me on a merry chase. I settled myself before leaning down and releasing Alister, though I made sure he was well fenced in by my forelegs before fully letting go of his scruff. The Eevee kit flopped grumpily to his belly, tail wrapping around his little body. He was still small enough to nestle comfortably between my forelegs and chest. The silky white fur of his mane was mussed slightly from being carried around, though that was easily rectified as I rubbed a paw down his back, claws combing through it. My paw lingered for a moment on his back, and Alister wiggled beneath it, encouraging me to keep petting him. I complied with a grin, scratching his back, my claws digging furrows in his silver fur.
With him, for the moment at least, contained, I glanced around at the other Pokemon in the room. "Thanks guys, glad for the help," I grumbled.
Sierra lay curled up on the bench in the window. He had his nose buried in a book and hardly looked up when I spoke. "Honestly Slink, I thought you had a handle on it." He said it with a straight face, but I was almost certain he was on the same page now that he had been when Alister had first taken off running.
Lucy at the very least had shifted position slightly as Alister and I had come tearing through the room. After all, Alister's mad dash beneath the table nearly knocked her over the first time. It seemed though that reaching out to catch the kit was too much effort. She still sat cross-legged on the floor. Her hands were busy atop the table, attempting to untangle a huge knot of yarn that she had previously attempted to weave. "You did great, Slink. Think of it like training. It's good practice for when you have to chase an outlaw or something."
I rolled my eyes at that one. When was the last time I had been in a Dungeon? Earlier this week Lucy and Vix had gone on a short mission at Vix's insistence, but I hadn't been truly adventuring in at least a month. Eve and I were just too busy, and the rambunctious little kit in my lap was only partially to blame for that.
"Oh, did something happen?" Vix asked dryly. She and Abby were taking up the rest of the couch. A new game of some sort was laid out on the couch between them, a wooden board inlaid with a grid of circular divots.
"Papa and me were runnin' around, Vivi," Alister provided helpfully.
The Vulpix shot a glance over her shoulder, fixing her little brother with a wide grin. "I saw, and it was pretty funny, kid. Well done."
"Don't encourage him," I sighed, but I couldn't quite manage to contain my own smile as Alister lit up at her praise.
We'd first found out Eve was pregnant about a week after we'd arrived home from her parent's house. It wasn't a total surprise, of course, but still we were ecstatic. We kept the news to ourselves for the first couple of weeks. Partially because we wanted to make sure that everything was going smoothly before we told the others, and partially because we both were a bit anxious about how Vix would take the news. Frankly, I was a little afraid that she would freak out. My greatest fear was that she would end up jealous or even resentful of her new sibling. Given how she'd grown up, I wasn't sure how she'd handle how Eve and I would have to split our attention between her and her new brother or sister.
Looking at her now though, I had no idea why I was worried. She was so excited to be a big sister. She adored her siblings, sometimes doting on them more than Eve and I did. And Alister thought that Vix hung the very stars, shadowed her every footstep. I say that like it's a good thing, but Vix was all too willing to take advantage of it. The trouble that they'd already gotten into together was going to cause me so many gray hairs.
I leaned down, resting my chin on the kit's back. Alister giggled, throwing his head back and lapping blindly at the air in an attempt to lick me. I chuckled to myself, nuzzling against him. Thankfully he seemed to be settling down now. It was nearly bedtime, thank Arceus.
I closed my eyes, relaxing against Alister and letting out a long sigh. It was dangerous to have my eyes closed. Every so often I'd feel myself nodding off, the sudden slump of my head snapping me back to wakefulness. My eyelids itched, feeling as heavy as a Slakoth's. It had been a long day: mostly in part to the numerous meetings that we'd been asked to attend.
I closed my eyes for just a moment, thinking back to that afternoon when we'd talked about the New Dream.
Vix could hardly keep her eyes open. She lay slumped over, her chin planted on the wood of the desk, her front legs dangling between the chair and table. Her tails spilled from the back of the chair, hanging limply and nearly reaching the floor. She was bored, and I honestly couldn't blame her.
I was having a hard time staying awake myself, though the long day and general exhaustion were equally to blame as the droning voice of the Camerupt standing at the head of the table. "... given the recent upheaval on the Grass Continent, due in part to their recent change in leadership, has drawn significant Society resources in our efforts to help restore order. Thankfully rescue requests are down 27% from where they were last year at this time. If we reallocate that part of the budget we should be able to break even…" I didn't manage to stifle a yawn.
Vix tilted her head at the sound, visible eye rolling sideways to regard me. The strangest sensation washed over me. It was like having a feral Cutiefly buzzing around my head. Something danced just on the edge of my senses, a high pitched buzz in my ears, a shadowy shape dancing in and out of my vision. I reached out with my mind, gently grabbing ahold of the oddity.
Well this is riveting. The voice was quiet and higher than usual, but it was easily recognizable as Vix's.
You've gotta work on your focus, I replied.
Vix frowned. She squeezed her eyes closed for a few moments before her voice rang out in my head again, this time much clearer. That better?
Much. I sent back, shooting Vix an approving smile and a nod.
She rolled her eye at me, but did look rather pleased with herself as she continued. Anyway, I have no idea how you and mom sit through these every month.
You just got unlucky. Sauna only reports every few months, and trust me, we all struggle to get through them. But they keep the lights on in HQ and the wheels turning for the Society as a whole so it's just something we have to put up with.
Vix nodded before turning her head again so that she was facing forward. Still, this is almost torture. You said we'd be out of here half an hour ago.
Things ran long, sorry. He should be wrapping it up soon. If you want you can slip out after he's done. Eve and I will be home after the next meeting.
Vix seemed to consider it for a moment, sitting quietly for a long moment. No, I can stick around. Just please tell me that Kegan doesn't put you to sleep like they do.
I laughed softly. Don't worry, the next bit will have more going on.
Sure, sure. She huffed again, loudly, earning her a glare from Eve. How she could sit so quietly, paying rapt attention as Sauna droned on was beyond me. Hey, so since you and mom are done preparing for this meeting, do you think we'll be able to do more missions next week. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm getting real bored of sitting around watching TV all the time.
Vix, I… don't know. Alister has a checkup with Candice on Saturday, and then with Xen and Ash coming to visit on Monday and Kegan asking to meet with us on Tuesday—
Forget it, Vix snapped. Her anger boiled through the connection, the intense emotion clashing with her psychic energy and briefly disrupting it. It took a moment for Vix to calm down enough for the connection to reform. Those stupid silver bars.
I grimaced, paw going to my badge despite myself. There was a new addition to the gold circle with silver wings. A thin quarter-ring of silver was attached to the top of the circle, marking me as a Bronze Rank member of the Society. Eve's badge was different too, having two silver ring segments on either side of the circle where the wings were attached. She was Silver Rank.
Vix's badge lacked any silver, though as a part of the team she was allowed to attend these meetings with us. That wasn't to say that her badge was unchanged though. Just above the team symbol, a tiny purple gemstone was set into it. There'd been a whole ceremony and everything when she'd received it, a rare honor for one who had single-handedly saved the lives of citizens and Society members alike during a crisis. As far as I knew, she was the only living Expedition Society member to have earned I'd learned recently the last member to receive it had been my grandfather.
Vix, I know things are hard. Change is hard, but moving up in the Society is good for all of us. It's what Eve has always wanted, it gives us more time at home to spend together. Just give us a few more months, okay. We can figure out a better solution.
I said to forget it.
Come on, this isn't fair to —
Would you two please knock it off. Eve suddenly butted in. Or calm down at least. Vix's power is starting to leak and the other Psychics in the room are getting scraps of this conversation.
Vix jumped at the sudden interruption. The last thing you wanted to do to an inexperienced Psychic was to surprise them. I felt the mental connection to her snap, like a thread put under too much tension. The now-unstructured Psychic power burst out of her, so strong that even the non-Psychics in the room would have felt it. In a panic, Vix tried to scramble back onto her chair, but that gave the unstructured energy a focus. Her chair was shoved backwards out from under her, smacking into the wall and falling to the ground with a crash.
Vix yelped as she fell, banging her chin on the edge of the table before falling to her back on the floor. The room was suddenly silent, with all eyes on us. I was out of my chair almost as fast as Vix was, helping her back to her feet. Eve was there just a second later.
"What happened?" Sauna's voice called from the other end of the room. "Is the young lady alright?" Vix rubbed at her chin looking absolutely mortified, but physically she seemed unharmed.
"It's my fault," Eve called out as her gem and fur started to glow, though it was faint this close to sunset. She placed a paw on Vix's shoulder and the Vulpix sighed as her pain vanished immediately. "I scared her and made her fall. Please, keep going, we'll rejoin in just a moment."
I grabbed Vix's chair and set it upright. Sauna shuffled his notes around noisily, but even when the three of us had clambered back into our seats he still hadn't restarted. He looked up at Kegan and said, "I recognize that I've kept these fine people here for more than an hour, and I believe you have more on the agenda for tonight. The rest of what I have isn't pressing and can wait until our next meeting."
Kegan stood, stepping up to the podium next to Sauna. "Well if that is the case, we only have one last item on the agenda. Those who are involved in the New Dream project, I ask that you stay for just a little longer. The rest of you are dismissed. I thank you for your time this evening."
Of the nearly seventy Pokemon in the room, a little more than half of them stood at Kegan's words. A low drone of conversation filled the room as Pokemon gathered their things and filed out. A few Pokemon gave us polite nods or even offered words of condolence to Vix as they passed by, until eventually the room was empty. We waited a few seconds before a door on the opposite side of the large conference room swung open.
A dozen Pokemon entered the room chatting quietly amongst themselves. Most of them carried notebooks or folders, and all of them were shiny. Some of them chose to sit away from the Society members, though most called out to friends, moving to sit with them. I smiled as the chair to my left was pulled away from the table and a massive ball of black and yellow fur took its place.
"It feels like we were waiting out there forever," Leo said. "Did Sauna go over time again?"
"Of course he did," Sparkle said, floating up into the seat on Eve's right. "You think he'd change it up for the last meeting?" She grinned at the three of us. "You guys excited to be rid of us?"
"Nah," I said. "You guys are quite fun when you aren't trying to kill me."
Sparkle laughed.
"I'm certainly ready to move on to new projects," Eve said. "But you make it sound like you guys are leaving the continent. I'm sure this won't be the last meeting. Hell, that's assuming the launch goes off without a hitch."
Leo shrugged. "I'm certainly ready for a break. Buzz invited me to visit the Grass Continent next week. It'll be nice to visit once things here are taken care of."
"Oh that's wonderful, Leo," Eve said. "I'm glad things are going well for him. Especially now that —"
"Alright, alright. If everyone is settled, I'd like to get started." Kegan stood at the podium again, looking out at the rest of the room. "We're already running late and I don't want to take too much of your time tonight. We are nearly ready for the launch, so there isn't much to do. Just the last few decisions that need to be made."
"Ah yes," a shiny Manectric growled from the front of the room. "I'm sure these decisions will be easy. We'll be out of here in no time."
Kegan took a slow, deep breath, and I could tell he was doing his best not to smack the Electric type upside the head with his spoon. Instead he pressed a button on the podium. The lights in the room flickered out one by one. One wall, however, remained illuminated.
For a second it looked like there was an open window casting light on the wall. But there weren't any windows in this room, and according to Eve the sun had set a few minutes ago. The rectangular patch on the wall grew brighter and brighter and images began to come into focus.
"First, an update on the new base." Kegan gestured to one corner of the screen where several photographs were clustered. As he spoke, that section expanded, the photographs filling the screen. The majority of them were landscapes from different angles, though there were a few overhead shots and several blueprints and diagrams. All of them showed the same, uncomfortably familiar gray domed structure.
It wasn't the Hatred base though. Not entirely. This was different. The dome itself only really resembled one from above. From any other angle you could see that the dome had been sliced like a cake. Each of the different slices had been unfolded slightly, like a strange flower, with huge gleaming windows along the outside. The gray stone on the outside had been carved in fascinating patterns, and inside colorful mosaics and paintings were visible on the walls.
"Construction on the New Dream base will be completed on-schedule. We can begin the move-in next week, and we should have everything in place for the launch at the beginning of the month."
"When will the Electric and Water teams be able to inspect the construction?" Sparkle asked.
"Later this week, I believe. Though, I would hope that the final inspection will just be a formality. You didn't find anything in your previous checks, I believe."
"You can never be too careful," a shiny Slowking at the back of the room chimed in.
"Of course," Kegan said. "Does anyone else have any questions or concerns regarding the base?"
"I still don't understand," a crumbling black Claydol grumbled from the back of the room, "why the new base is so far from… anything actually. The old base was remote because it needed to be. We were — I believe the Society called us fugitives and terrorists — after all. But being tucked up into the Scale mountains far to the East of Festive town seems almost punishing to us."
"We've been over this," a Goodra sighed. "The Ha — er, New Dream Foundation themselves voted for your base to be more remote."
Sparkle spoke up again. "It is far safer for us to be away from population centers, especially as we establish ourselves on the Fire Continent. You have to remember, the Fire Continent knows us as, like you said, fugitives and criminals. Thanks to Smoke we have a bit of a reputation to make up for. Besides, we're hoping that if there are shinies out there who need help, a remote place will be easier for them to flee to or for us to evacuate them to."
"That, and the logistical issues with trying to build something this size in or near a population center." Kegan added. "Any other questions?" Nobody spoke up. "Excellent. Now for the fun part. The last thing we need to discuss is independence." A wave of muttering filled the room.
"Against. Still strongly against," a Lurantis near to Kegan said. A fresh wave of muttering filled the room.
"Nobody asked you, Vincent," Leo growled, his voice easily overpowering all the others. "Besides, we have already made it abundantly clear that the New Dream must be independent of the Expedition Society in order to fulfill our purpose."
An Obstagoon near the door scoffed. "Right, because that worked out so well the last time. How long until the New Dream becomes the Hatred again at that point?"
"To be fair," the Goodra chimed in again, "Smoke's first crimes under the Ambitious Dream occurred while he was still a Society member. It was only after he murdered the administration at the time that the Hatred became independent."
"That's a technicality," Vincent the Lurantis hissed. "That doesn't disprove the fact that having more oversight over a group with a history of violent crime will be safer for everyone."
"And when we have to cut through a pile of red tape to go and rescue a shiny from a bad home life, I'm sure that kid will be glad the Society had oversight." Sparkle floated a few inches above her chair, trying to make herself heard over the din.
The room dissolved into shouted arguing. The Hatred members at least seemed united in their stance, though the loudest voices were a group of four shiny Pokemon who tended to sit by themselves during these meetings. On the other hand the Expedition Society members were a more even split, with those for New Dream independence, those against, and those like Eve, Vix and me, who kept quiet, merely hoping for some solution.
Before things could escalate any further Kegan tapped his spoon against the podium. "Enough!" Despite the gentleness of the movement, a clear piercing note filled the room. Gradually everyone fell silent again. "Unsurprisingly, the method of us all screaming at one another is not helping us to decide on this matter." He furrowed his brow, glancing over the room. "Is there anybody who has something constructive or new to add to this discussion?"
Nobody spoke.
"Can I speak?" Vix asked.
Kegan regarded her for a moment, his eyes flicking to me and Eve for a moment. Ultimately he must have decided that Vix couldn't have made anything worse. "Sure, Vix."
Vix stood up, placing her forepaws on the table. "I just wanted to say, that you all are idiots."
I'd honestly expected this to unleash a new wave of screaming, but it seemed that everyone in the room was so stunned by Vix's accusation that they remained silent, unsure if speaking would prove Vix right.
Finally Eve sighed. "Vix may be right. We've been at this for months and it feels like we've made zero progress. Would it be crazy for me to suggest that we look for a compromise again?"
"Yes," Vincent grumbled.
"Yes," a shiny Azumarill in the center of the Hatred contingent snapped.
Neither side seemed willing to recognize that they'd actually agreed, even on this meagre point.
"I actually have something to add to this." Leo said. "I'm almost certain that I am the only Pokemon in this room who has worked for both the Hatred and the Expedition Society. I originally joined the Hatred because I didn't think there were any other options for a shiny, especially given the mistrust mainly coming from the Expedition Society." Leo nodded towards the Hatred members. "However, I think we must also acknowledge that the mistrust wasn't totally unfounded. And the whole reason I left the Hatred was because I knew that my mate and son would not be accepted, and they might have been in danger if I hadn't left."
"Is there a point to this?" Vincent snapped.
Leo glared at him. "My point is that neither of you have any right to a moral high ground. The Society claiming that they should have oversight of the New Dream is understandable given the Hatred's past, but I also agree that we have little to no reason to trust you given our past."
Kegan jumped in again. "I think, given the nature of these arguments, we can all agree that an unsupervised New Dream is not in the cards. I understand the frustration, but that simply isn't happening."
"I will not accept the Society having a permanent hold on the New Dream," Sparkle said.
"Who said it has to be permanent?" I asked quietly. Most of the Pokemon in the room turned to look at me. "This whole time we've been looking at a permanent solution, but there's no reason why we have too. What if we do a probation of sorts? The Society can have oversight for a couple of years, and then we can re-evaluate then."
The room broke out into low mutters again, though they seemed almost agreeable, especially compared to previous reactions. Of course the extreme Hatred and Society holdouts still didn't looked pleased, but most everyone else in the room at least considered it.
"One year?" Vincent hissed. "After the damage the've caused for decades now? You want to let them off the hook after a year? It should be at least fifty before we even consider it."
"And re-evaluate seems a bit nebulous for my tastes," Sparkle said. "It was a great idea, Slink, but I honestly doubt the Society will ever let us out from under their thumb if we agree to this."
"You've got that right —" Vincent began, but before he could say more Kegan jumped in.
"Vincent, I didn't realize that you spoke for the whole Society. I understand and recognize both your frustration and your protests, but this is a place for civil conversation. If you can't abide by that, I will have to ask that you leave." The Lurantis hunched his shoulders at the admonishment, falling silent. "The same goes for all of you. Please don't throw away all of the hard work this group has put in over words spoken in anger."
Kegan nodded to me. "I think that the Society would be open to an agreement like that. We can put together a more formal charter that would include clauses for the length and specifics of dividing control. We could even have the Pokemon Paradise or Rescue Team Society witness and notarize the document. They would be able to mediate if either the Society or the Foundation feel that the deal has been broken."
There was a silent conference among the Hatred members. I was certain that they weren't using Psychic to talk, but there was a lot of eye contact, as well as lots of nodding and shaking of heads. I'm sure that specifics would be discussed later in private, but for now they just needed to agree to the faintest vagaries of a plan. Finally Sparkle spoke. "I think the New Dream would be amicable to something like that. Provided certain conditions are met."
For the rest of the meeting I sat quietly allowing the other Society leaders take the lead. I had no mind or interest in the minutia of the politics being discussed. I was perfectly content to allow those who knew more and cared more to hash that out. Instead I listened, and couldn't help but smile to myself. The evening's work had been both mentally and emotionally exhausting, but ultimately it was all in service to making something better. It may not have been perfect, not everyone loved it, but it was a start. And sometimes that's all you needed.
"Papa? Papa!" I blinked awake, choking back a yawn. Alister looked up at me grumpily. "Papa, you're heavy. Did you fall asleep?"
"No," I said, quickly lifting my chin from where it had been resting across his back. "Just resting my eyes for a second. Has mom come down yet?"
Alister shook his head. "Mama isn't here yet. Does that mean it isn't bedtime yet?"
I shifted in my seat, doing my best to face towards the stairs. According to the clock, I'd only dozed off for a few minutes, but Eve had said she'd be down once she was finished, and she shouldn't be taking so long.
After a few moments of contemplation, I leaned down taking Alister gently by his scruff again and plopping him between Vix's forelegs. The little Eevee didn't seem to mind. He simply curled up, reclining back against her warm fur. Vix shot a look at me, raising an eyebrow. "I'm gonna go check on mom," I said quietly. "Keep an eye on your brother please."
She rolled her eyes, but nodded, curling a tail around him. Once I was sure they were settled, I headed upstairs. I made a beeline towards the end of the hall towards the still-closed bathroom door. light and wisps of steam spilling out from the crack at the bottom. I knocked gently as I reached it. "Hey, everything alright in there?"
I nudged open the door, just in time to be met with a huge wave of water headed directly at my head. I yelped in surprise, just barely getting a psychic barrier up in time to deflect it. The water splattered against it before dribbling to the already sopping floor. "What the hell is going on in here?" I asked the room. I took a single step through the door. Immediately my paw splashed down into a nearly inch-deep pool. The water wasn't exactly cold, but it wasn't nearly hot enough for it to be comfortable for me.
It took me a few moments to even find Eve. She was sitting atop the counter next to the sink. She glared at me with an exhaustion that only a parent would understand. She was soaked, fur plastered to her body and making her look skinnier and more disheveled than I'd ever seen her. Water dripped from her chin and the tips of her tail.
Before I could take a step closer to her though, a high-pitched cry echoed through the small room. "Ooooooouuuu!" A fresh burst of water sloshed over the edge of the tub, thankfully away from me, adding to the pond on the floor.
"Mystic," Eve sighed from her perch, "what did I just tell you?"
"Uhhh," the same voice answered, "keep the water in the bath? But mama, how am I s'posed to swim if I can't splash?"
That coaxed a smile from me. I moved to the tub, hopping up and bracing my paws on the rim. Inside, standing up to her knees in water, was a tiny Fennekin.
The pregnancy had just been a wild ride of surprises from beginning to end. We knew by the end of the first month that Eve was carrying twins. Candice had seemed surprised when she'd discovered that, but only mildly. She told us that of the hundreds of births she'd helped with she'd only seen two or three sets of twins. When the special day had finally arrived, Mystic had been the first born by about half an hour. She took Candice aback even more than the twin thing had. Again, it wasn't unheard of for children to match their father's species instead of their mother's, and apparently it was more common in larger litters. Given how rare those were already this was the first time Candice had seen this. When Alister had arrived with silver fur, it was simply icing on the cake.
"I see the bath is going well." I smirked at Eve. She blinked back at me, unamused.
"I didn't realize I was the one who was taking the bath," she shot back.
"Papa, papa, I'm a Wailord," Mystic said proudly. "Ooooouuuu!"
"Oh are you?" I couldn't help but grin.
Eve hopped down from the counter with a splash. "She is. She certainly is." She was shivering slightly, even in the warm, humid, air, and she looked absolutely miserable.
"Oh, jeez Eve. Come here." I guided Eve out of splash range of the tub. The rug wasn't completely soaked through yet, so I had her sit down on that.
"Seriously Slink, I'm fine," she said, though she made no move to get up. I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before pursing my lips and breathing out a slow stream of piping hot air. She leaned into the warmth despite herself. Steam billowed from her fur in a thick cloud, adding to the humid haze already in the air.
"There, is that better?" I finally asked, feeling a bit light-headed. Her fur was still a little damp, but she looked much more comfortable.
"Thanks," Eve sighed. "Mystic was just telling me all about the book she read on Water Types today and she got a bit excited." She shook her head, a few lingering drops flinging from the tips of her ears. "I don't know how Sierra or Abby ever get dry with how thick their fur is."
"Sierra asks me to dry him occasionally. I'm sure Vix dries Abby." I said with a shrug. I glanced back at the tub where a pair of little paws and the tips of two ears could be seen just barely peeking over the rim. "Anyways, I got Al settled downstairs. Are you guys nearly finished?"
Eve yawned widely, "Should be. Just need to dry her off." She blinked. Now that she was dry, and presumably much warmer, she looked about ready for bed herself.
"Why don't you head down?" I said finally. "I'm sure Al would love to spend some time with you before bed."
She cocked her head at me, though she looked more than a little relieved. "You sure? I can handle things here."
"It's fine," I reassured. "I can capture this fearsome Wailord." Mystic giggled to herself. Eve grimaced. "Seriously Eve, I got this. Don't worry." I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers. Our noses touched briefly before she pulled back, dipping into a stretch.
"Go lay on the couch while you finish up here? You don't have to tell me twice." She smiled before looking around guiltily. "I'll come back up later and clean this up," she assured. "Love you." She turned and started wading her way back towards the door. I watched her go for a second before turning to the tub.
Like most things in this house, the bathtub was large enough for a Delphox, but had clearly been built with quadrupeds in mind. Tiered steps made of porcelain had been built on both the inside and the outside of the tub, allowing for even the tiniest Fennekin or Eevee to climb in and out without too much trouble. I hopped up the first few steps, peering within at the tiny fox at the bottom. Her tail wagged wildly, hitting the sides of the tub with wet slaps. She stood up to her knees in water, though I suspected the water had reached up to her chest when the bath had started.
"You ready to get out, little spark?" I asked.
She thought for a moment. "But Papa, you can't take a Wailord out of the water."
"Of course I can," I said, mentally pulling the plug and drained what remained of the bath. "Especially when it's almost that Wailord's bedtime. Now come on, we've gotta get you dry." She sagged a bit, pouting, before leaping up and taking the steps two at a time. "Careful," I said as paws slid dangerously against wet porcelain, the rubber matting atop it so saturated it barely helped. She pranced across the floor to the same patch of dry rug Eve had used, taking great pleasure in splashing with every pouncing step.
I watched her with a bitter smile. Despite the mess she was making, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt her sheer joy at playing in the water. She was still young enough that her inner fire hadn't fully ignited yet. Water, so long as it was at least a little warm, didn't hold much danger for her. It wouldn't be long now until only Vix or I would be able to safely give her a bath. Even as I went to dry her, I could already see a little bit of steam rising from her fur.
She sat, though she marched in place with her front paws, wriggling as I carefully dried her with another stream of hot air. She wasn't shiny like her brother, though she had inherited some of my markings. Her chest and belly were white like mine, though only her front paws had white socks.
Mystic barely gave me enough time to finish drying her tail before she was up and moving, headed for the door. I followed at my own pace, turning off the lights and closing the door behind me. Mystic practically sprinted down the hall, thundering down the stairs. I followed behind at a far slower pace. I'd already chased down one kid tonight, I wasn't rushing anywhere.
Thankfully, I didn't have to. Eve had claimed my previous spot on the couch. Alister was laying across her forelegs now, head nestled up against his mother's chest. He stared blankly across the room, eyes half lidded in exhaustion and mouth hanging open like he couldn't bother to close it. Mystic lay straddled across Eve's back, cheek resting between her shoulder blades, her wagging tail the only sign of how much energy she still had left. Even from across the room, I could hear the deep rumble of Eve's purr. She had her chin resting on Alister's back, eyes closed, happy.
I approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt the adorable tableau. As I got closer though, Mystic's tail sped up in its frantic wagging and Eve lifted her head, a cozy smile on her face. "Is everyone ready for bed?" I said softly.
Alister gave a half-hearted shake of his head, despite barely being able to sit upright. Eve laughed. "Yes please. Can I go too?"
I laughed. "Sure, I'll tuck you in next." Mystic's tail wagged even faster as I approached, grabbing her scruff and lifting her from her mother's back. Eve sat up, letting out another big yawn before bending down to pick up Alister. "Say goodnight everyone," I said through my mouthful of fur.
A chorus of "Goodnight Mystic" and "Goodnight Al" followed. Vix reached out with a pair of tails patting Mystic between her ears, and rubbing Alister's back. "Night you two," she said. "Love you guys."
"Night, Vivi," they both purred.
The four of us headed back upstairs, though slower this time. We didn't want to jostle our cargo. I nudged open the door to the room next to ours. The space was dually lit both orange and blue. Sunset light peered in through the curtains, pushing back against the cozy blue-white light emanating from the Snorlax nightlight by the door. I deposited Mystic into bed where she was quickly joined by Alister. The tiny Fennekin let out a wide yawn before flopping down, as kits tend to do. Alister nestled up next to his sister, her bushy tail clutched between his paws, and his head tucked under her chin.
Eve was waiting for me at the doorway, silhouetted in the light coming from downstairs. Before joining her, I lingered for a moment at their bedside simply watching the pair of them sleep. Even after nearly two years something deep within my gut kept insisting that I stand there for just one more minute, keeping watch over the two of them.
"Slink, are you coming?" Eve whispered just loud enough for me to hear. I looked up immediately at her words. She still sat by the door, though she had leaned forward, her hind legs tense as though she was ready to rush in at a moments notice.
Her worry was not misplaced. Our first few months with the twins had been rough. Sure, there were the typical stresses of having newborns. Midnight feedings, the efforts of containing two energetic kits, and the general lack of rest had stressed us, and I admit it had left me with some bad habits.
For the first three months of Mystic and Al's lives, any sleep I'd been able to get had been plagued with nightmares: maelstroms of burning buildings, red eyes glowing from the shadows, and black fog smothering me as I was forced to listen to the screams of Mystic, Alister, Vix, and Eve. Many nights Eve found me sleeping, or doing my best to, at the foot of their bed, keeping an anxious vigil.
Even now, some part of me still screamed that they were in danger. That the peace of the last few years had merely been a fluke. While the nightmares had lessened, that instinct, that niggling feeling deep in my gut that I had to keep watch, hadn't.
Eve's paw was on my shoulder, a reassuring weight that snapped me out of my spiral. "Hey, I'm here. I'll sit with you if you want to stay for a while." I closed my eyes as I reached up, placing my paw on top of hers. She was with me. I focused on that fact.
"No, I'm okay." And I surprised myself when I realized that I meant it. "We should go." Eve smiled at me, and she stayed right by my side as we stood and left the room together, shutting the door behind us quietly.
We rejoined the rest of our family downstairs, spending a peaceful evening together. As I sat there, in the light, surrounded by those I loved the most, I realized that my worries had melted away. This is what I had fought for, since that moment Eve had found me. And now, finally, I could enjoy it.
