A twirl, a swerve; a topsy-turve spun Herri around the mirror against the wall as she inspected every inch of her Ferris-funded new threads. A carnation yellow minidress came down to just above her knees, clashing perfectly with the multicolored striped leggings she'd picked. Over her arms, a loose purple-red jacket was secured around her biceps by a pair of black straps, off which hung her Pokeballs, shrunken and fastened to metallic hooks. Their residents Wirt and Yayamaskaa danced around her feet, keeping on the off-beat of her new pink hiking shoes tapping like timpani against the hardwood floor while she sought new angles to inspect herself. Her left hand caught her long orange hair, freshly washed and respun into a single braided tail, and give it a twist through the gaps of her fingers while she stretched it to its full length.
"Mm," she approved, twisting back around to her stylist. Emma gave her two thumbs up – a sentiment shared by her Espurr, Mimi. Sat comfortably on the corner of the guest room's bed, the older woman appraised Herri's new style.
"You look even more you than you already did!" she cheered. A wistful "Prrr!" came from Mimi as she requested more accessories in her Pokemon way, to whom Emma gave a curious look. "Mimi says it's a good start, but you're missing something to tie it together."
The teen tapped her forefinger on her nose once or thrice, then seesawed between her legs for just a moment while she thought on it. "Oh." Spinning left on the tips of her toes, she slid to the stupendously-sized shopping bag that had seized an entire sitting chair for itself, plunging torso-first into its depths. She wriggled in a little further – Emma almost leapt out of her seat as she swore she saw Herri's feet leave the ground – before the girl resurfaced with her prize, and stuck a cream colored high profile cap on her head, twisting it just a bit off-center to show off the magenta Pokeball pattern woven into the headgear with shimmering ribbon.
Herri brandished her hands around the cap, jagged movements from spot to spot trying for all her might to mimic a flashing effect. "Hat?"
Mimi's eyes narrowed, judging Herri's style with the seasoned experience of Lumiose native. A pregnant pause, and then… an approving nod. "Prrr-Ess!" Herri fired back two thumbs up in appreciation before tugging the hat just perfectly into place. At her feet, Wirt hopped up and down in excitement, and she squatted down to rub the little turtle's shiny head – her own blank expression peered back up from his shiny dome.
"Squirtle! Urt urt!" Wirt blurted his desire for a hat of his own, and Herri rubbed his reflective noggin with her thumb and forefinger.
"Don't have any that small," she lamented. "We can make Kuzey buy you something." Wirt's tail twisted up in excitement while he made a bubbling trill of joy. Herri's arm extended, inviting Yaya back on as it climbed aboard, and settled on her bare shoulder as she stood back up to face Emma.
"That's remarkable," the elder trainer noted. "You can already understand your Squirtle?" Herri shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
"Mm-hmm. Is that weird?"
"Urtle?" Wirt repeated.
Emma tittered and rubbed the back of her neck. "Eh-heh, sorry. Not 'weird', I guess. Just unusual!" She reached out to Mimi and tickled the Espurr's tummy with a stray finger, the little cat pawing at the wrinkles on her knuckle and purring. "Most trainers are able to understand their partners after spending time with them, but being able to communicate with them so well immediately isn't easy. Even Mimi and I couldn't do that at the start!"
Herri stepped closer, palm out to catch her tilted face as she observed the pair. "How long have you two been friends?"
"Since I was just a kid," Emma told her, eyes already twisted up in memory-filled fog as she thought back to days Herri couldn't picture. "I was an orphan on the streets; back then, the two of us were all we had. I couldn't even afford a Pokeball for her. There were… some bumps in the road, but we've stuck through it all together."
Herri's middle finger drew back, and papped against her cheekbone. "So those other guys who help you watch the streets…"
"Bingo," Emma said with a grin. "All former street kids, like me. Some things happened back in those days, and I kind of wound up leading a gang. By accident!" she added in a hurry. "But when things finally turned around for me, and I was left the Bureau, it was a chance to pay forward the kindness that had been given to me. So I took them in, and now the same kids that used to cause trouble in the back alleys are the ones keeping them safe."
Emma lurched back, getting leverage before thrusting herself back onto her feet, Mimi leaping onto her shoulder an instant later; the former toughie smiled at the orange-haired girl observing her.
"Repaying kindness." Herri said it slowly, chewing on the words to see how they felt across her tongue. "I like that way of living. I want you to teach me how to do that. Wirt and Yaya too." Her Pokemon cried out their agreement in stereo, sparking an affirmed nod from the Looker.
"I'd be proud to!" Emma exclaimed, sticking a hand out for Herri to shake. "I'll whip you into shape in no time, Ace-in-the-Making!" Stepping to the door, she ushered Herri to follow. "And for a trainer looking to advance, there's only one thing to do!"
Down in the Atrium, Kuzey was crouched on the loose gravel near the entrance, chopping off bits of treat from a tube to toss; Crest and their newest teammate Phylla the Bulbasaur were about ten paces away, and vying to catch the bits as Kuzey tossed them.
This next morsel went to the right, Phylla's way, and the Grass-type hunched down on her stocky legs before getting about four feet of air – only for her following chomp to miss the treat by a hair's breadth. She cried a panicked "Baa!" as it shot away, but Kuzey signaled her, "Vine!"
One of Phylla's green appendages shot out from under the green bulb on her back, zipping around the treat and bouncing it back to her waiting mouth as she hit the ground once more, greedily consuming her prize.
"Not bad," commented Professor Sycamore, slouched nearby on a plastic lawn chair. The Pokemon Prof. sipped a can of soda before crossing one leg over his knee. "Teaching your Pokemon the full range of their own motion is a step a lot of rookies miss."
"I try and do it at least three times a week with Crest," Kuzey responded. "I read once the best trainers do specialized hyper-training to maximize their partners' potential. I, uh…" he hesitated. "I'm not really sure how to pull something like that off, so I've tried my best to find other stimulating activities." He watched Phylla celebrating her treat with a taunting shake of her rear at Crest – a move that nearly got an Ember tossed her way before Kuzey tutted at the Charcadet. His pal refocused on the treat in Kuzey's hand, and when he tossed it high and left answered with a dash backward plus a coordinated leap upwards, snatching the treat with a grace that seemed near to precognition. The fiery scamp was halfway through his treat before his feet touched the ground.
"Plus, I've already seen Phylla use her vines a ton," Kuzey explained. "I want to make sure she doesn't use them as a replacement for movement in a battle."
"You're really -URP- thinking this through," replied Sycamore, pounding his chest after an unprompted belch. "Analysis and strategics come quick to you, Kuzey. Though overthinking things can cause you to hesitate at a crucial moment."
"Nah," came a voice from behind them both. "He can do it."
Kuzey and the Professor turned to watch Herri and Emma return from the lab, the former flinging her new ponytail over her shoulder. "Look good?" she asked Kuzey.
"Looks expensive," Kuzey retorted, running the numbers internally on just how much that get-up had cost him the other day. "Glad my aunt's money didn't go to waste, at least…"
"It certainly didn't!" came the sound of a passing sonic boom as Vi blew past Kuzey; the towering woman stopped just shy of flattening Herri before her hands framed the girl's ensemble, soaking in every detail of her new look. "Oh, darling, magnifique! Look at this little diva!"
"Thank you," Herri replied with a little dip of a curtsy. "Your nephew is a good ATM."
"Well!" Vi guffawed. "I guess his parents taught him how to treat a lady after all!" She pivoted back to throw a thumbs-up at the groaning boy dragging his palm down his face. "Proud of ya, Kuzey!"
"Glad someone is," he dimly buzzed, before receiving a prod at the back of his head. He turned around to Herri, standing behind him with her finger still outstretched.
"Kuzey," she told him. "Let's battle."
"Eh-huh?" the boy scratched the spot she'd poked. "I mean… sure, but what for?"
"Emma told me;" she explained. "Trainers and Pokemon grow best by battling together. So before we rescue Mia: battle me. Let's get stronger together." Her closed fingers opened up, and she took Kuzey's hand to pull him to his feet. The boy lurched forward into her shoulder, mystified as she patted his back with a quick "there, there" before he steadied out.
"I guess that makes sense," he answered. "How are we doing this then? Double battle?"
"Or rather," interjected the Professor, swishing his soda to catch their attention. "How about a one-on-one with your new partners? Put yourselves through your paces. I can ref!"
"Mm," Herri mm'ed. "I accept."
"Ditto," said Kuzey, while Phylla waddled to his side. "We can put our exercises to practice – right, girl?" The grass-type grunted in affirmation.
Sycamore directed both of his newbie trainers to step about twenty paces apart, giving their Pokemon plenty of space for battle. Vi, in the meantime, set herself up on the Professor's vacant chair – the valiant plastic vessel trembling with all its latent power to withhold the massive woman. Crest nestled in on her lap, accepting headrubs in exchange for a better view of he envisioned would be a crushing defeat – for Phylla. The Bulbasaur trotted ahead of Kuzey, looking back to him and receiving a nod in confirmation. "We're ready!" he declared.
"Wonderful!" Sycamore replied, turning to the other trainer. "Herri, go on and send out your Squirtle."
"Oh." Herri fished Wirt's ball off of its clasp, extending her arm and pressing the button that expanded the ball to its full size. "Still gross."
The girl leaned back, cocking her arm above and behind her head as she aimed for a spot near the center of their makeshift battlefield. "Wirt," she announced in deadpan. "I choose you." Out flung her arm, extending all the way forward, as the Pokeball… managed to roll back over her fingers, plopping off the back of her hand before falling to the gravel with a limp smack.
"Oops."
Disappointing as it was, the ball snapped open, and in a flash of light Wirt appeared by Herri's side, leaping forward with a cry that held all the energy his trainer had just sapped from the atmosphere.
Kuzey felt a new emotion stir into the usual confusion he experienced around this girl, while watching her stoop down to scoop up her dropped Pokeball. Hmm… yeah. Yeah this was pity. He leaned forward, trying to get his head back into this.
"A-anyway!" the Professor stated, holding both arms outwards. "This battle will now commence between trainers Kuzey and Herri! I, Augustine Sycamore, shall referee! Each trainer shall only use one Pokemon. And with that… commence!"
"Let's move quickly!" Kuzey declared. "Phylla, start with Razor Leaf!"
"SAUR!" she answered with vigor and a storm of projectiles ejecting from the bulb on her back, spinning green shuriken coming to her opponent in a spiral approach.
"Bubble," Herri responded. Wirt made a diagonal sweep with his little torso, beak-like lips pursed as he spewed out a stream of bubbles like bullets, intercepting the leaves before they could reach him. Percussive bursts of air snapped at the center of the battlefield, both attacks canceling each other out in a spray of limply-falling leaves and droplets of water.
"Tackle this time," Herri called. Wirt flexed its little biceps with a mighty "SQUIIIRT!" before dashing forward; the turtle jumped into the air and plummeted down like a falling artillery shell, his head smashing straight into Phylla's. The grass-type wailed in annoyed pain as she went prone beneath the living projectile.
"Chaa, CHAA!" cheered Crest, punching the air in vindication as Wirt gave that food thief what for. Emma chuckled, standing behind Vi as she observed the brutality of the duo.
"Geez!" Kuzey winced, flummoxed at the brazen attack as he flicked through his Rotom Phone, refreshing himself on the moves available to his Pokemon. "You know Tackle too, Phylla! Toss him off!"
"Nnnrgh...BA!" Phylla attempted to obey his command, but from her disadvantaged position she couldn't find the leverage to get her head up.
"Come on, Phylla!" he encouraged. "Just like we practiced! Leap for the treat!"
The toadish Pokemon's eyes snapped open, understanding the intent. Her head couldn't move, but her rear legs found leverage in the gravel – and with a further bit of oomph from her vines pushing alongside them, she managed to catapult herself up, taking Wirt right along for the ride. The turtle wailed in surprise as he drifted apart from Phylla in the air, while his opponent was primed to strike.
"Vine Whip!" Kuzey called.
"Rapid Spin to counter," Herri riposted.
Phylla twisted two vines upward like heaving arms before bringing them down in a hammerblow on Wirt, who ducked into his shell and spun as quickly as he could, the momentum cushioning the impact a tad as he was spiked straight into the gravel beneath – both trainers and the Professor threw their arms over their faces as they were pelted with tiny rocks. In the peanut gallery, Vi placed her own arm over Crest to keep him safe while the pebbles struck and broke upon her skin. A perfect barrier for Emma to hide behind as well. Once the shrapnel had settled, Kuzey and the others dared to peek back at the battlefield. Wirt was still conscious – but had landed on his back, and the water-type was wiggling back and forth to try and get re-situated. A perfect opportunity to strike, Kuzey saw.
He saw it, and yet… he just had to know…
"Herri!" he shouted to his opponent, exasperated. "How the heck do you know all your Squirtle's moves?!"
"Huh?" she replied, pinkie finger scratching in her ear. "You want to know that now?"
"It's driving me NUTS!" the boy replied, slapping his chest. "You don't even have a phone! What are you using to check?"
"...Check?" the girl replied, one eye squinting in some unspoken judgment. "I don't follow."
"Ugh!" The boy crouched a bit farther down, the weight of useless knowledge pushing him closer to his knees. "You're not telling me you just know."
"Well, what do you do?"
Both of the boy's hands clasped his hips, and he leaned a little back to enjoy a deep, calming breath.
"Vine Whip, Phylla. Vine Whip right now."
The Bulbasaur complied, winding up for another downward strike, though Herri countered predictably, calling for another Rapid Spin. Wirt began to spin on his back, but when the vines came down – he tilted. The appendages slipped into his shell, and were stuck. A fact Phylla had only a second to appreciate before she left the ground, beginning to spin above Wirt in well-kept time, yowling in shock.
"Oh, come on!" Kuzey groaned, trying to tune out the elated cheering of Crest to the side. He glanced at his phone again, scrolling through the moveset once, twice, five times. Think, think, there has to be SOMETHING that might work…
"Kuzey." His eyes were pulled from the screen by his opponent, as Herri pointed at him. "Your partner needs you. Make a decision."
"...Right," he assented. Something more spontaneous then. He threw his hand upward toward his airborne partner. "Aim straight down, and use Sleep Powder!"
"Bu-Bu-lba!" Phylla growled, sounding more queasy than anything else. A blue droplet collected at the tip of her bud, and with a pulse was fired out as a cloud of dust dropping straight onto Wirt.
This one got a reaction from Herri, whose eyes widened just a tinge. "Water Gun," was her answer, and Wirt poked his head out of his spinning shell to direct a jet of water upward – aiming to render the powder inert by wetting it. But in this instant, his own momentum worked against him, and the wide arc on the attack caused it to miss much of the cloud that then settled onto him, causing the… the Squirtle to… to suddenly feel like a nap would feel great right about now…
The RPM on the Water-type gradually decreased, as its focus shifted from combat to snooze. Soon he'd ceased entirely, fast asleep and helpless in its own trap. Time for the finisher. "Tackle!" came Kuzey's order; Phylla pulled her vines taught and brought Wirt into the air as she plummeted downward, returning the favor from before as her head walloped the boisterous bubble-blower. When the two hit the ground, only Kuzey's Pokemon was capable of battle, Wirt having transitioned from a peaceful nap to a thorough cold-clocking. Up came the arms of Sycamore, and with a booming voice declared, "Herri's Pokemon is no longer able to battle! The victors are Kuzey and Phylla! Excellent show, all of you!"
"Ch...Chaaa…" As the other viewers cheered for both sides, only Crest wept for the defeated; justice had been denied him, the sympathetic helmet strokes from Bounvialle cold comfort on this darkest day. "It's okay, it's okay~"
Kuzey and Herri trotted to the center of the field, each kneeling down to attend to their Pokemon. Phylla got a proud pat on her mewling head, and a quick scritch behind her ear. "Great job, girl. We'll make an awesome team yet, I think." Kuzey called the victorious Bulbasaur back into her ball, while Herri prodded Wirt a couple of times with his.
"Kuzey, how do I do this again?"
"Uh, here, you press this button."
"Thanks." The tuckered-out turtle was drawn back into his Pokeball in a red beam, and Sycamore approached to pat both combatants on their shoulders.
"Now that was a fine first match!" he lauded. "I hope you've both learned something valuable from it."
"Uh-huh," Herri affirmed with a slight headtilt down to the effect of a nod. "I learned not to help your opponent when he's losing."
"Bwuh—" Kuzey sputtered, sideswiped. "Well, I learned you're a MUTANT that can read Pokemon minds, or something!"
"Both great lessons!" Sycamore guffawed, his voice almost musical in amusement. "But I was thinking more along the lines of your battling. Like you, Herri." He pointed at the girl's face, her eyes crossing to stare at his outstretched finger. "You're the picture of excellence at defensive battling, reacting coolly to the moves Kuzey made. But you don't seize the initiative when it swings in your favor; that Tackle only landed because you were battling inexperienced opponents."
Kuzey attempted a retort, but shut up with a blubbering grunt as he felt the overpowering grasp of his aunt tousle his hair.
"And my little man here," Vi added. "overthinks every move he makes. That ain't gonna last you outside a friendly match, kiddo. A perfect plan that comes too late is worthless."
Emma, by Vi's side, nodded. "They both did pretty great the other night when the chips were down, though, and their stress in the moment muted their flaws. They probably – no," she insisted with a raised finger. "Correction! They definitely have what it takes to make ace trainers someday."
"Regardless, there's always room to grow," said the Professor. "We'll have plenty of time to buff out the rough edges…" his thought trailed off as his Rotom Phone zipped out of his pocket and hovered in front of his face. "But we'll take a raincheck on that, as it seems we're ready to depart!"
A stiff rock, or something like that, stirred in Kuzey's chest as he realized what was next. "We're going to save Mia?"
"With no further delay," Sycamore assured him. "If you'll all follow me, it's time we set off."
"What on earth…"
Kuzey wasn't sure to be astounded or concerned at the fantastic metal contraption sitting on the street. A rounded, metallic vehicle the size of a bus, painted yellow on bottom and a deep grey atop, with a pair of large rotors to carry it. And in front of the curiosity, one deeply proud Clemont, arms crossed in triumphant pose.
"I give to you all my most daring invention to date: the Heliocopter!"
The applause rolled through the air like deathly silence. Vi scratched her chin, a sheepish grin attempting to find the words. "It's… cute?"
Herri's eyes beheld the strange aircraft, unblinking. "It's perfect."
"Perfectly terrifying," Kuzey retorted. On his shoulder, Crest glared at the strange metal behemoth, sizing up whether this was some kind of grotesque Pokemon they'd need to battle.
"Don't sweat it," Emma tittered, stepping past him. "You get used to Clemont being Clemont. Honest."
"And what precisely does THAT mean?" the gym leader pleaded, but got no answer as the young woman approached the Heliocopter and knocked on the side. A ramp dropped down, unveiling a cabin with plenty of seating for everyone present.
"All aboard!" Emma called. "Next stop: Geosenge Town."
"After you," Sycamore said to the others, waving them in.
"What about Trevor?" Herri asked, dragging Kuzey by the sleeve into the vehicle.
"I sent him to connect with a couple friends," the Professor told her. He had to duck just a tad to enter safely – a fact lost by Vi, who nearly clotheslined herself following him in. "Whoever it is we're picking a fight with, more allies can't possibly hurt."
"Agreed a hundred percent," Clemont said, last into the cabin, a sleek and future-minded arrangement with comfortable leather seats and few other accouterments. Everyone took their seats and buckled, Kuzey and Crest closest to the right side of the rear row by a small viewport, while Herri sat opposite him, and Vi between. "So, to the newbies of our little circle, allow me to make one more introduction."
On her cue, a young woman spun around in her chair at the front end of the vehicle, an enthusiastic "Bonjour!" her greeting with a fancy hand sign thrown above her head, in something like a lightning bolt's shape. She was about Kuzey and Herri's age, dressed in a striking orange blouse and her hair, done up in a fancy braid ringing around her head, matching the electric blonde of Clemont's. "The name's Bonnie! I'm Clem's little sis. Pleasure's all yours."
"Fewer old people," Herri remarked. "Good."
"Bonnie's got the highest handling aptitude for my state-of-the-art Heliocopter," Clemont explained. "So I've asked her to accompany us on this mission."
The teenager smirked, and pointed at her elder brother with her thumb and a sideways glance. "Don't buy his crap. He only asked me along because he got his pilot's license revoked – again."
The elder sibling's face flushed a quite deep red, and out he stammered "H-Hey, that was because of a technical malfunction in the field! Don't go besmirching my work in front of others!" He tried to grab an ear to tweak, but Bonnie juked him over and over, cackling at her brother's clumsy strikes. "Too slow, bro!"
Huh. Kuzey recalled the night before, the heroic sight of the dashing young gym leader striking from on high with his ogre of a Pokemon… and compared to the awkward, bumbling guy in front of him, it was hard to imagine them as the same person.
"More weirdos…" he whispered.
"Rrrgh… ENOUGH of this!" Clemont pouted, spinning away from his sister to throw on every lever, switch and flickable thing his fingers could reach, and a tremendous whirring buzzed through the aircraft and everyone within. "All systems are go! Bonnie, grab the controls so we don't die!"
His sister just cackled and spun around to her station, dreadfully amused as she took control of the machine. "You psycho! Here we go!"
It was hard to tell from inside the contraption, but outside the cabin window Kuzey thought he could see the ear-like rotors atop the Heliocopter being to glow, some kind of energy pulsing through them as the thing began to depart the earth. "Behold the genius of the Heliocopter!" Clemont raved. "Who needs engines, and air, when you can harness the evolutionary knowledge of the Electric typing to imbue raw MAGNETISM in your preferred mode of transport?!" Up and up it lifted, windows passing downward outside as it began to leave the skyscrapers of Lumiose City behind. Kuzey leaned out of his seat, staring with Crest down at a bird's eye view of the great spoked wheel that made up the metropolis. The center of the whirlwind that had overtaken his whole life in the last couple of days… and from up here, it was hardly anything at all.
"Uh, you really should stay buckled in!" Clemont warned.
"Too late!" Bonnie countermanded. "We have liftoff! And baby, we've got thrust!" She pushed the throttle, hard, and the machine responded with gusto, punching through the sky like a bullet – and like a bullet Kuzey nearly shot to the rear of the vehicle, before the iron beam called his Aunt Vi's arm reached out to stop him. He gripped onto her for dear life, Crest clinging just as tightly on the boy's shoulder as she fought g-forces to wrestle them back into their seat.
"There you go, champ!" Vi groaned, catching her breath. "Oof!" Kuzey didn't respond, beyond shaking in
"Please, remain seated until acceleration has completed!" Bonnie teased, scanning her eyes across the GPS information on the control panel before her. "Projections say a standard trip to Geosenge ought to take about four hours… but I bet we can make it in two. Hang tight!"
Everyone pressed farther back into their seats, as the hovercraft – nay, the speed demon – pushed its limits even farther at the beck of the manic girl behind the controls. Her laugh bounced off the walls as she skimmed the craft across a cloudbank, water vapor scattering like viscera.
Professor Sycamore, with all his strength, managed to turn his head to Clemont. "You said… she was the most qualified to fly this thing?"
The Gym Leader, skin stretched taut and back, made a grimace. "Yes… but comfort… was not a recorded factor."
"Oh, lighten up!" the little daredevil hollered over her shoulder. "This'll be fun! Say, you guys' names are Kuzey, and Herri, right?"
As if there were no casual conversation at all, the blonde spun a digital wheel on her interface, and the entire craft flipped upside down to a chorus of screams – and one carrot top's quit "whee" – chaos erupting in Kuzey's seat as the disoriented Charcadet that was in his lap was now clinging tightly to his trainer's hair, yanking and clawing for dear life. Life it was pulling straight out of the boy's follicles.
"...What do you guys do for fun?"
Pain was the first thing she felt. A shuddering, wracking sensation all through her chest, like something had pressed it nearly flat. Unable to bear sleep a moment longer, Mia's eyes pried themselves open, and took in a dark room, metal tinted a deep and uninviting green, with similarly-colored lights peering out from the creases where the walls met. Oh, criminy. She almost missed the sterile whiteness of the place she woke up the first time around. But then again, it wasn't that different. The metal bench she'd been splayed out on was hardly less comfortable than the operating table she'd occupied then. At least she was wearing clothes this time. She was, right? A pat-down told her yes, her garments remained garmed to her. A pat-down also told her that pat-downs were a terrible idea when your ribcage is sore. A searing hiss snuck through her teeth as she rode out the pain before feeling ready to shimmy up into a sitting position. "A-tss-tss-tss…" the sound came once more with all the painful exertion it mustered. What a blow that must have been. It felt like she must have been hit with a… oh.
"Oh, crud," she murmured, her eyes darting to the floor. "Where's my?!-"
Tok.
A small impact drew her attention – to her left, against another wall, was another bench. And on it sat another person. A girl, maybe a little shorter than her, barefoot and dressed only in a red robe, with a white headband compressing her long, dark hair that spilled over her shoulders. Her eyes were sunken in, exhausted bags hanging low under them, and shifty black pinpricks a fool might call pupils were fixed on her. But however scary the girl looked, her thin lips still drew a passable smile when she looked Mia's way.
"Don't worry," the girl said in a husky tone, older-sounding than her body belied. "Your rock's right here." Her bare toes tapped against Mia's lithic fixation, and the pink-haired girl's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed. "I was so worried I'd – wait, hang on!" Her mind diverted to more important things, as the memories of how she'd gotten rocked spilled back into her waking world. "What about Herri?! And Kuzey? Are they okay?!"
The room reverberated then, as someone outside banged on the only (shut) doorway with a metallic instrument, creating a clanging that scratched at Mia's eardrums. "HEY!" a man's voice hollered after. "Keep it down in there! This ain't a daycare!"
"Oh I'll daycare YOU, ya big – aw, whatever." Mia harrumphed and gave up her half-baked insult, turning back to the mystery girl, who continued to stare at her bemused.
"They brought you here alone," the girl answered her earlier question. "I don't think your friends were captured."
"Well, that's great," Mia bawled, bummed. "Guess I'm on my own giving these creeps the slip again. Not the hardest thing I've done…" her hand drifted down to her side. "But I think I had more ribs last time."
"You're not alone," replied the other girl, staring at Mia. And Mia stared back. Back and forth. Staring. Purple and black eyes, deadlocked in an unspoken duel.
"...Do you not blink?" Mia asked.
The stranger was still a moment more, watching her. "...Do you?"
That got a snort, and Mia wagged a finger at her. "OK, ya made me laugh. I think we're friends – and not just 'cause you're cute. I'm Mia! What do I call you, partner?"
Her feet still patting upon the rock, the red-robed girl rocked her head back and forth for a moment, her hair swinging in rhythm to her percussion. "...I guess Rei works."