Chapter 7
The Market Run
(Part 2)
Penny suddenly realized that she and Arven were in line at the checkout, the constant commotion of scanner beeps and paper bag rustling assaulting her ears. And she recognized the familiar face of the woman attendant that would be ringing up Arven's order. Penny could see the wonderful woman smile at her, and she sheepishly pretended she didn't notice by avoiding eye contact and surveying the assortment of candy and snacks lined up in the checkout aisle.
Ah, some Rage Candy Bars. Sure, nice, score. She could go for some of that... Penny nabbed one for herself, and another for Nemona. But she'd feel bad buying snacks for just her and her girlfriend... So she scooped up a package of Duosibitez for Scarlet (translucent gummies with a nougat center, inspired by the 'mon Duosion), and some Stunfix'd crisps for Arven (potato crisps styled after Stunfisk) – she didn't want to pester him about a flavor, so she went with Unovan Vinegar. She knew such snack foods weren't quite Arven's go-to, but it was the gesture that counted, she figured, and she also remembered he specifically did enjoy potato crisps on occasion, which weren't a food so easily whipped up in the average kitchen.
As the customer ahead of them got wrapped up and paid their bill, Arven already had half of his load of ingredients on the conveyor belt, and Penny set her acquired snacks in an awkward spot on top of a cooler at the aisle's edge so she could help her friend. As the pair of them went about plopping the rest of Arven's purchase into place, the inevitable conversation with the clerk Arven had deliberately chosen started...
The clerk greeted, "Arvenさん! こんにちは! 元気ですか？"
Arven replied enthusiastically, "こんにちは、 小糸さん。私は元気です、あなたは？"
Penny did a double-take. Was... Arven actually speaking Kantonian? (*1)
Like, it was nothing fancy – just swapping 'hello's' and 'how are you's' but... still, Penny had never heard Kantonian uttered from Arven's lips before. It was wild.
The clerk, a woman Penny knew well enough (and was deliberately avoiding looking at), began scanning Arven's ingredients and continued with a followup statement:
"忙しいんです！ありがとう。 私の子供をとても大切に扱ってくださることを願っております。"
Arven paused at this sheepishly, his mouth ajar, and a small 'Urh-' escaped him, but he puffed out a squeamish laugh, running his hand across the back of his hair with a self-deprecating grin.
"Too advanced for me," he warily gave in.
Penny's Kantonian was honestly not all that great, she just knew certain common words and phrases from how much subbed anime she watched. So the woman had said something about... taking care...?
Regardless, the clerk before them chuckled, and Penny's chest fluttered as the middle-aged lady's grace beamed warmly at them both.
"Steady as the Slowking goes," she said. "It seems you've at least started looking at those lessons I sent you."
"I did, Ma'am, yeah," Arven replied warmly. "Thanks! I'll keep at it."
"Great! And-..." Those elegant blood-red eyes, knowing Penny hovered at their periphery, at last locked onto her, and Penny felt a shiver climb up her spine – in a good way. "-... hello to you, as well, Penny!"
"H-Hello, hi, yeah, hi, konnichiwa, Mrs. Koito-san," Penny stammered out. UGHHH she'd said 'Mrs.' and '-san,' and 'konnichiwa', total sod behavior!She had not been mentally prepared to face the 'milf' that was Scarlet's mum on this afternoon, even though she should've seen it coming. The woman did work there at Mesagoza Market, after all... Penny was just used to shopping at night when the lady was off shift, typically.
Penny received a bemused chuckle from Scarlet's mum and harsh pat on the back from Arven, and she knew by the way his hand was clamping down on her shoulder, Arven was silently judging her for being weird about it, as he knew how Penny could be when it came to this woman. Who was, you know, his lover's mum?
So Penny pried her eyes away to give her brain time to perform its usual reboot whenever Mrs. Koito was around as Arven's back patting and shoulder squeezing was accompanied by explanation.
"Yup, hah, Penny's here helping me gather supplies. We're going to be heading for the festival in Artazon!" the budding chef cited.
"Ahhh, I see. Stocking up to make some sales, hm?" Mrs. Koito observed, to which Arven nodded, releasing Penny and resuming shoving his supplies onto the belt. Still scanning things and dropping them into bags, Koito-san – er, Mrs. Koito wondered, "Will you be whipping up any サーターアンダーギー? The last time you made those for us, they turned out very well!"
Arven's eyes bugged out at the notion being proposed. He blinked, then nodded, slapping the side of his fist into the opposing palm.
"You know, I was thinking of frying some dough! My menu today needs something nice and simple to round things out! Great idea, Ma'am!"
Ahhh, Penny's brain rearranged the syllables she'd heard: 'sata andagi'. 'Sugar'... something. 'Fried?' That sounded about right. Basically, just balls of sugary dough, deep friend, she'd had them before – during her trip with Nemona to Johto a couple years prior... Mmfh, sounded delicious right then... It made Penny's attempt at snacks feel pathetic by comparison – but it wasn't like you could pop a wad of fried down in your pocket to save for later so easily.
"Oh, I'm sure you would've come up with something lovely one way or the other," insisted Mrs. Koito encouragingly. "I'm certain Scarlet would love having a taste of their old home to help them relax after a hard day's work."
"Right, yeah, definitely," agreed Arven eagerly, proceeding to start shoving his bagged up goods back into his shopping cart. "I just, ya know, I hope work doesn't keep them held up too long..."
"Hah," Mrs. Koito warily laughed, continuing to scan the rest of Arven's things. Penny dopily shoved a divider onto the belt when she realized another customer was waiting behind her, and she slapped her assortment of snacks down, moving on up and approaching the beautiful woman who had birthed her friend. Erh, the, the mum. Who'd had Scarlet. Scarlet's mum. How did this woman make wrinkles look hot, what the fffffff-?!
"I'm sure whatever the League has them doing," the mother of a Champion ruminated, "they'll have it settled in time for supper." And she was looking at Penny as she said this, offering a polite smile that made Penny's insides do somersaults. How could someone so grouchy and glum as Scarlet have a mum who was so warm and hot and pretty and ghffhfhfhfgghh...?
"Mm," Penny agreed, nodding emphatically. She would swallow the lump in her throat but that would have entailed her brain needing to function enough to do so. Which seemed impossible when this gorgeous lady was looking directly at her from so close.
The firm grip of Arven's adroit hands clenched onto Penny's shoulders once again as he eased her back slightly, pulling out his wallet to pay and sorting through paper bills.Arven still carried around physical cash... Penny wasn't surprised... Though, she supposed, Arven dealt in a fair bit of wandering trade with all of the foraging and what-not he got up to. And cash was pretty necessary for the job he'd created for himself...
"How's your sister doing, anyway?" Arven asked, cool-as-a-fucking-cucumber, talking to this decidedly-older-than-them person, all casual, as if... as if they were buddies, or something?! "Is she doing better?" he followed up as he counted his bills.
"Ahh, yes, thank you," Mrs. Koito-san – erh, Koito-san – grhhh Mrs. Koito said, tallying Arven's uneven stack of pokédollars. "She's made a full recovery, and even went to visit my husband earlier this week."
"Wh-Whoa, seriously?" Arven eked out, clearly shocked by this.
And Penny could understand why, given what she knew.
Arven added, "She visited him... in prison?"
Mrs. Koito nodded, placing bills into drawers as she fished up change. She responded courteously but with a hint of sullenness.
"Oh, yes, I guess her time in the hospital gave her an appreciation for his work at Silph Medical, and she felt compelled to pay her respects to him... Something along those lines, I suppose."
"Wow..." Arven scratched a finger through his mottled goatee. "Oh-... Thanks." He accepted his change and stuffed it into his pocket. As he was handed his receipt, he remarked, "W-Well, glad to hear she's doing well, feeling all better, and all that."
Penny watched as Scarlet's mum went about scanning her small assortment of snacks, and she suddenly realized it was her turn in the queue, so she went fumbling about for her card.
"Do you need a bag, Miss Penny?" asked Scarlet's mum.
"No, thanks, I'll manage," Penny squeaked out, nearly dropping her wallet. Being called 'Miss Penny' was not normal, even if she was officially her 20's now (only just). Seeing Mrs. Koito adding an extra layer of professionalism on top of already, just, everything else the woman was, it was doing things for Penny and making her flustered as hell. She couldn't even logic herself out of it, it was like a physical reaction – like when a doctor hits you in the knee with those little triangular hammers... but directly into your skull and it reverberates through your abdomen...
Desperate to shake out awkwardness and make herself more personable, Penny inserted herself into the convo going on by asking, "A-And, erh, by the way, h-how's... uhh... how's Mr. Koito? Is he, like...hanging in there all right?"
Mrs. Koito took in a deep breath as she went about ringing up Penny. Arven finished placing the last of his bags in his cart as this occurred, and by the time Penny was ready to swipe her payment card (which had been customized with a series of every Eeveelution lined up on it), she received a response.
"I... think he's managing to get by," the mother remarked. Her voice and her face were glowing, but it was more like fluorescent light than the sunlight she'd greeted them with: artificial, sterile, pale. "We spoke on the phone last month, and he... told me he was getting involved in a shogi club, so... that's something positive, at least..."
"O-Oh, yeah, absolutely," Arven layered on the placation instantly.
"Mmm, mm-hm, good for him," Penny joined in, sheepishly accepting her receipt from Mrs. Koito. "Gotta... you know, stay optimistic, keep... keep focused on self... improvement? And everything..."
For all of the gazillion times Nemona had prattled about 'self-growth' and what-not, Penny was having a hell of a time fishing for a solid phrase to spit out.
Penny was relieved to see Miss Koito's expression light up slightly at Penny's words, but before she knew it, Arven was nudging her, tipping his head to the next person in line, who was finishing up placing their things on the conveyor belt.
"A-Anyway!" Penny spat. "It was wonderful to see you, Miss Koito-san, Ma'am, Miss Ma'am, -san, Mrs. Ko-eegh-?!"
Penny was being yanked away by the arm, nearly dropping her purchased snacks.
Arven added hastily, "HAHA, yeah, Letty and I will come visit you when things settle down!" And he gave the woman a farewell wave of assurance as he had to let go of Penny with the other arm in order to catch his shopping cart from rolling off.
"It was nice seeing you both!" Mrs. Koito courteously called back, beginning to scan items for the next customer. "Please send Miss Nemona my regards!"
"Will do!" Penny acknowledged, walking backward and flashing a thumbs up with her other arm pressing a collection of packaged snacks to her chest. She bumped into Arven's back, this time spilling a couple things. She swiped them up hastily from the matted black rugs at the entrance, relieved that Scarlet's mum hadn't seen, and was jolted from continuing to walk forward by Arven's steady, meaty arm – a parent and two children were entering the store in front of them.
"Holy hecking Azelf, Penn," Arven growled into her ear as they waited. "Remind me to never come here with you ever again, please, thank you."
"Oi, it's not my fault she's fit," Penny defended in a hissing whisper, using Galarian slang for 'attractive'. "I mean, bloody hell, you're dating her kid, as if you're in any position to-"
"Ahp-bupp-bupp! Cutting you off right there." Arven sighed, leading the pair of them out the front double doors. "I know we opened a can of pokébeans back there, with the-... the behind-closed-doors stuff, but that's Scarlet's mom, OK? There's... There's lines you gotta draw in the sand with your friends. I'm callin' this one a solid line." And he symbolically slashed his finger horizontally through the air as he closed the book on the topic.
Penny was relishing how thoroughly flustered this was making Arven. Penny's crush on Scarlet's mum had been known since day one, when they'd met her in person at Scarlet's abode before they'd gone on their group trip to Kitakami together. Penny was outspoken on the matter, to which Letty themself seemed ambivalent, Nemona found it all amusing and funny, but Arven had always found it sacrilege.
"Fine, fine," Penny eased off, making her smug tone apparent as the pair of them waltzed into the parking lot at Mesagoza's edge. "But only if you tell me when, how, and why you've started learning Kantonian."
As the two of them weaved through the small lot, circumnavigating a car leaving, and headed for the back. Arven scratched his cheek gruffly, using the task of being mindful of traffic to buy some time. Toting her snacks close behind, Penny maintained expectant staring into his profile.
At last, he replied, "Because it's where Letty's from, that part of the world. I mean, you're way more obsessed with Johto, 'n Kanto, and all of that. I'm surprised you don't speak it..."
"I speak a little, このバカ." (She called him an 'idiot'.)
"私はバカじゃない!" (He protested that he was not, in fact, an 'idiot'.)
"Heh, keeping you on your toes," Penny teased as they reached the end of the lot. Arven's dorky little food truck awaited them.
"Gee, thanks," sighed her friend, grabbing his key from his pocket and unlocking his half-vehicle, half-kitchen monstrosity.
"By the way, umm..." Penny had a sudden flash of thought in her mind as she replayed the convo they'd just experienced. "Talking with Mrs. Koito, just now? It, like... reminded me-..."
"About Letty's little secret?" Arven grunted out, hoisting himself into the truck's rear end. As if it was nothing, he rolled past the notion, off-handedly requesting, "Mind passing me stuff, please?"
"Erh, right," Penny obliged, setting her snacks into the empty top compartment of the shopping cart and grabbing a paper bag full of produce. It was a little heavy for her weak arms, but she managed to lift it high enough for her pal to grab it. "A-And yeah, only... I don't think Nemona knows about it still... Like, still. Years later..."
"Well," Arven huffed, setting the bag down and prepping for another. Penny got two this time. "She'd better not, seeing as-..." His tone got strained again as Penny handed him two bags. "-... Scarlet hasn't told her yet... And no one's really supposed to know about it in the first place. Soooo-...?" He shot her a skeptical side glance.
"Gah." Penny pushed herself to grab another two bags – it was more difficult than she'd have liked... "I haven't told her, either, and... and I won't," she insisted. She growled out the next sentence as she stood on her toes, her arms aching as she pushed her scrawny arms to pass the paper bags of ingredients up. "I... promised... and... I'm staying true... to that... Whew!" She panted with relief with Arven took the bags, clearly having an easier time of it than she was.
"What difference would it even make at this point?" lamented Arven, setting the two handfuls down, ready for more.
Shaking her hands loose, Penny went for another bag – just one this time – and it was a bit on the heavier side, but she handled it well enough.
After Arven took it, she answered him: "... She has a right to know..."
Air passed out of Arven's nostrils in a loud, wary sigh as he set the bag down. Penny wriggled her limbs loose again and got the last bag.
"Sure," he conceded. "But it's not on you or me to tell her. Leave that to Letty, or... heck, the League, I guess."
"Only it... feels a bit naff to me," Penny grumbled, lifting the final load up to her friend. "After all 'Mona's done for Paldea, and with how... stiff... things are with her and Scarlet at this point-..."
"What, you think her finding out would fix things?" balked Arven. Dripping with dry sarcasm, he posed, "Pray tell, how?"
As her friend began opening his fridge unit to put away the cold ingredients, Penny took a breath from the bag lifting and considered how to word her reply.
"I mean... I still have faith those two can get over this rough patch," she asserted.
"So do I," Arven was quick to say.
"Good. Glad we agree on that. So. One way of... them doing that... could be Letty actually opening up to her about this." Her arms crossed, Penny flicked her wrist about a bit to emphasize her point. "About themself, their past... how they ended up here in the first place..."
Stuffing fruits and berries into the cooling unit, Arven's head bobbed and tilted to and fro, humming and hawing.
"Mmmmaybe," he considered her thought, clawing at an itch behind one of his ears. "I just-..." He shook his head as his thoughts swiveled to the other side of the coin. "I worry Nemona's got a... lot to deal with right now. I... I don't know if the timing is right. It's... hard to tell how she'll react to a normal day, let alone how she'd reactto having a bombshell like that dropped on her out of nowhere, in the middle of all this chaos. Don't you think?"
"Rrgh, good point," huffed Penny, giving a few centimeters on the subject. More than a few, really. "She does seem kinda... 'off' recently."
"Like I said, it's the stress. The move, her family, the promotion at work, the crazy stuff going on across the island nowadays? I mean, you and me, we've both had heavy adjustment periods, a ways back, but... I don't think Nemona's really had to deal with that sorta crap until now. Her life's been on a silver platter up until recently, and she still struggles in her own ways, right? Maybe give it until things slow down a bit."
Penny felt defensive about Arven's phrasing, but... wasn't going to try getting into that subject again when they'd already fussed it to death before.
"Mm." She acknowledged, "Well, it's not up to me, Arven, now, is it?"
"... Oh, yeah. Hah. Guess I was circling back to our... earlier topic."
Penny let a silence hang between them, her brows lifting in concession as she shrugged.
"A-Anyway, good talk, and all that," Penny murmured, deciding to leave things as they were. "I've got, erh, places to be..."
"Pokémon to feed," Arven figured, his face hidden behind a cupboard door.
"Haha, yeah..." Penny sighed, already looking forward to seeing her pokébabies after a long day.
"Catch you on the flippety-flip~!" Arven called to his friend with a cheery tone as she shuffled off.
"Never say that again~!" Penny flashed back at him in the same tone, her Mirror Coat of sarcasm, and she could hear him cackling to himself in the distance.
As Penny escaped the dredges of the grocery store parking lot, she carefully, discreetly, pulled out her Poryphone, keeping it close. Walking briskly toward the day care, she connected to her special app... she waited with baited breath...
( Checking Project Status: )
( Data Compilation Complete )
( Begin Test? )
She closed the app immediately, still wary to leave traces of her connection up for too long. She wouldn't have time until after the festival, but her chest swelled with relief, like her soul was being strapped to a rocket, ready to set sail for the moon.
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(*1) – Japanese, but I'm not sure what else to call it in-universe. Pokémon's equivalent of Japan is essentially like a combo of the first 4 generations, though Kanto/Johto specifically seem to 'feel' like a depiction of Japan between them; within my narrative, I'm treating Kanto as like, the 'origin' or 'dominant' region for culture in that part of the world. It gets a bit confusing, lore-wise, because there are multiple languages in-universe, as characters like Nemona and Bellis speak phrases in other languages than English. But there also clearly seems to be a 'dominant' language – which, in the Japanese versions, is of course... Japanese. But this fic is an English story set in the 'western' part of the world. Makes me assume Nemona's 'Paldean-isms' are specifically something that was added in localization.
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