At last they had returned to Tabira. The journey felt longer than it had for all the trips the guild had made outside of its home town, most likely for the fact that dread and exhaustion hung over the guild like a cloud. They had successfully defeated and captured both the sneaky Madeline and the rampant Gilgamarsh, though many had suffered serious strain in the process, mentally and physically. Jasmine was no exception - her hands had suffered serious burns from the Goodra witch’s toxic ooze during her rampage on his horrid face, and were now buried under a layer of bandaging. On top of which, she was still struggling to acclimate herself to her new height, posture, and the appendages that dangled from her wrists, currently wrapped around her forearms in their own pseudo-bandaging. In her rampage following her evolution, she had barely noticed the changes save for the satisfaction of having just that much more leverage to throw her weight around in the war, but now that things were calm she felt unsteady, uncertain.
It could only be worse for Noir, who paced along beside her. His breathing seemed to have stopped being quite so heavy, but he was clearly still suffering in the aftermath of battle, even these few days later.
But now their journey reached its end, bringing them back to Tabira’s edge, where they could see a multitude of homes and buildings swarming around the form of the Great Tree, though now dotted with colorful flags and banners. They pressed on through the gate, many locals applauding their return and waving. Jasmine offered smiles and nods where she could, but found that the gestures felt hollow.
When they neared a particularly well-decorated building that seemed for all intents and purposes to be a tavern, Topaz tapped on Gemma’s shoulder and offered some comment to her, Vander and Chandra. A nod and some words that could not be heard from Jasmine’s distance to them passed, and Topaz hurried ahead. The remaining three guild leaders signalled a halt, Vander turned around and regarded the massive troupe with one of his gloves placed steadily on the young Gnarl’s shoulder.
Three witches unveiled in the span of less than a week… four, if Jasmine was to count young Fain. The knowledge weighed heavy for some, and for her she truly couldn’t decide how to feel. Gnarl, like Fain, seemed to have the best of intentions, unlike the selfish Madeline and the actively harmful Gilgamarsh. As wild a claim as it might sound out loud, witches seemed to be no different than the average Pokémon in terms of their drives, motivations, and lifestyles.
Topaz returned soon enough.
“Well, it seems that while we were gone, preparations have been made to celebrate our return,” she announced, doing her best to make her voice carry over the multitude of bodies gathered before her. “I know we’ve just been through a harrowing experience, and many of you are eager to know just what we plan to do with the captive witches. Madeline is being heavily guarded, and Gilgamarsh is much too weak to escape the equally well-guarded reinforced Apricorn Cell.” She gestured with an arm toward the center of their group, where the most stalwart of Pokémon hefted a large red Apricorn shell on their shoulders, containing the troublesome Gilgamarsh. Madeline had since disappeared from her sight, but when they had departed for Tabira, Jasmine remembered seeing several dark-types surrounding her from four corners. Indeed, as Topaz had said, they seemed to have all potential threats under control.
“On behalf of the guilds of Tabira, I ask you all to... relax! Have fun!” Topaz clapped her hands and spread them wide. “Spend time with your family and friends, if you’d like! In a few days, there will be an official announcement for a guild meeting explaining what’s going on. So, let us guild leaders handle the hard stuff, and just try to take it easy in the meantime. Thank you all for your loyalty and hard work!”
“Oh,” Noir muttered under his breath. He hadn’t had time to think about what sort of downtime they would have. There had been growing tension between their team but more lay just beyond the corner ahead. He knew Jasmine would eventually wonder about him. At the mention of family, he imagined her thoughts immediately went to her father. She had her theatre and countless Pokémon waiting for her with open arms.
He was less fortunate of course. That was no surprise. He had reflected upon this often but the guilt of his original intent in this team weighed heavily upon his shoulders. His chest felt constricted by the bandages - or, was the feeling dread?
The festivities offered many different activities for the returning teams to enjoy. Other than the Haunted House and Wonder Room, he felt the need to suggest the spa to Jasmine. Spa going was considered ‘ritzy’ and seemed to fit her taste. The water would hopefully soothe her aching paws and otherwise help her relax after such a hard battle. She deserved some sort of physical ease from what she must have gone through before.
Noir waited for others to leave Jasmine’s side in their usual ‘mingling’ manner. He cleared his throat but it felt like his mouth was as dry as Cottonee fluff. Why was he feeling so awkward? Heat radiated from the tips of his ears and his cheeks. Luckily, the color of reddened skin couldn’t be seen under his dark fur but the feeling was enough to outwardly show on his face. He couldn’t hide the discomfort as well as he’d like.
“So… uh… ow-” he was interrupted by a sharp pain in his side. He had lifted his arm foolishly and tempted his wounds to ache. His arm quickly lowered before he continued his thought, “There are plenty of things to do here…” His eyes dropped to Jasmine as if helping her know that he was addressing her. Though, if she would look his way, his eyes would avert to things nearby like he was unable to make eye contact with hers.
“Or… Were you planning to go back to the theatre for a while? I’m sure Poppa Peter is waiting for you to bring him news of the goings-on in the guilds.” There was a pause. Noir filled up the empty space with uncertain ‘hm’s and ‘uh’s. The claws of his left hand dug at the skin of his torso under the bandages in a scratching fashion. The bandages over the area he scratched gained a slightly red tint from the slight bleeding he had caused. For some reason, his wounds were itching like crazy. “I’m sure he’d be pleased to see how much you’ve … uh… Grown.”
His suffering wasn’t lost on Jasmine - she herself would certainly like to get some more long-term healing, something that the Tabirans at the beach probably were not trained for. Soothing lotions and gentle massages weren’t quite intended for those with burned skin and broken bones, after all.
Still, there wasn’t much that could be done in the wake of the healing the Scholars and their aides had put in during the fight against Gilgamarsh. All who needed healing had been given their fair share, herself included. And she knew full well that where she had only suffered burns, Noir had been broken in a few places. Her suffering would pass.
“Yes, that’s true…” she agreed. “Though after all the walking on the way here, I think I’d prefer to relax a bit, wouldn’t you?”
She stepped uncomfortably forward once more - curse these long legs! - and tried to get a sense of the roads. Topaz had given the impression that most (if not all) were holding celebrations for their honorable guild, so she might just be able to find a lovely spa to relax in.
“I’d say we earned a break,” Noir replied. His relief that she actually responded eased his nerves slightly. His ears still burned like they were on fire though. “So… uh… There are a bunch of different activities they set up. I think I saw signs up pointing to that tavern called the ‘Wonder Room’ and a Haunted House for children. And toward the beach, there are the spas and the springs. I think they said something special was held at the springs but I’m not sure what.”
He paused his thought to finally look down at her with a steady gaze, “We could visit the spa to help you relax then rest in the tavern. Or go to the spa, check out that other beach area then check out the tavern and haunted house thing. I’m sure a good laugh could help us along.”
“A spa sounds lovely,” Jasmine decided. Perhaps a warm towel and a massage… “What will you be doing? Not running off searching for trouble, I hope.”
Though the comment was phrased sternly, she actually felt at ease despite her exhaustion, like she and Noir were able to be cordial and friendly without his general teasing and nonsense distracting her. She somewhat even hoped he would stay nearby for a bit, if only to have some more idle talk. The trip back to Tabira had, for the most part, passed in silence.
She decided to follow the road signs he had pointed out, aiming toward the beach. Though the distance was a bit farther from her estate, she decided it would be worthwhile to experience another masseuse’s style of reinvigorating, rather than visiting her usual attendants. Besides, though she did want to visit her father again soon - and she believed mother might be home from her trip now, too! - now might not be the best time… her stunning new evolution aside, she was still injured, and they may not take kindly to that.
The edge of Tabira that petered out into bright sand and crisp waters was punctuated by a solid wall, designed to take on the brunt of ocean waves in storms or tidal surges. As such, it was easy to see the many bright faces of Pokémon running about, playing with inflatable beach balls, sunbathing, or napping under the cover of umbrellas and tents. There was a massive tent, striped blue and white, pitched quite near one of the staircases leading down to the sand. Rather kind of them to keep it easily accessible…!
As her toes touched down on the sands, she couldn’t refrain from a slight flinch - the heat absorbed by the grains reminded her of Gilgamarsh’s stinging acid, and the sweltering weather of Ywaru. But once she had entered the tent and stomped the annoyance out of the crevices between her toes and her claws, it would be long forgotten in the bliss of relaxation.
Noir was at her heels, however, he was oddly walking around on all fours rather than his usual vertical position. There was a slight limp to his right side where, presumably, Gilgamarsh had squeezed him. His eyes locked on the many Pokémon scattered about but his expression seemed… more lax than his usual. His oddly nervous behavior had ceased but what appeared in its place was more bizarre.
As Jasmine entered the tent, he paused to survey his surroundings. As if he had been ushered on stage for a performance, he lifted to his back legs and strolled in with the usual cocky grin. Despite Jasmine’s wishes to relax and chat, Noir did almost the exact opposite. He flirted with the females working at the spa center and showed off techniques he had learned from Jasmine’s staff. Luckily, he learned more while flirting away with the ladies there so even if Jasmine detested his actions, there was some benefit to her.
After a while, Jasmine was offered the full treatment within the spa. It was only until her stay was almost complete that Noir decided to show up once again. A goofy grin was over his face and his fur had been ruffled in several suspicious spots. Once he approached the area of the spring Jasmine had chosen to soak in, he found a dry spot to lay down. “Ohhh what a day~” he chimed, chuckling lightly as he relaxed there beside the springs.
“How’s your soak going?” he asked casually. A slightly dismissive tone was present in his words as if he was only half paying attention to what she said.
Jasmine, who had for some time been taking in the warm, relaxing spring water with a cloth towel wrapped around her skull, cracked her eyes open, feeling slightly groggy but nonetheless relaxed. Her whiskers drooped in an odd fashion from the water droplets that weighed them down, dipping just into the water’s surface, and her arm ribbons were near totally submerged, dangling from her wrists as they were supported by a small flotation block that the spa attendants had kindly provided her. The bandages on her paws had since been replaced and fresh herbs had been applied to soothe her burned pawpads and flesh, allowing her to enjoy the dip in peace and comfort.
When her eyes fell on Noir, that peace was washed away like the tide of the ocean outside. His cheeky grin was no surprise, but it was the context in his ruffled fur, particularly around his head and face, that gave her a blistering temper to match the damage to her paws. Claws scratched at the wood supporting her arms as she tensed up considerably.
“It… was… just fine…” she ground out through clenched teeth.
How unbelievably rude! That he would take advantage of her treatment to go off and play at the other ladies in the tent, just to satisfy his own desires! Disregarding of the sort of behavior she would expect from her partner, off gallivanting through brief encounters… it was a struggle to hold her tongue, and she feared whatever he had to say next would break her restraint.
In truth, he hadn’t done anything truly despicable. He had flirted with a few individuals of the female variety but had ultimately turned them down. His goofy grin spread across his face for the simple fact that he felt at home there. As odd at it sounded, he enjoyed fitting in with the guild members. It was an almost ‘free’ feeling to walk around others without getting dirty looks.
“Uh huh,” he acknowledged her words in a similarly dismissive tone. He moved a little closer so he didn’t have to talk so loud. He was genuinely feeling great and the heat from the springs soaked his sore body even without taking a dip in the water! “You know,” he began. “If you stay in there too long, you may shrivel up that new body of yours. You’d look like a squished raisin.”
Her tolerance had indeed shattered like a drinking glass thrown at full force against a wall. The block disappeared from under her arms, shoved aside and stirring the water before she had even drawn back her right arm. Her nerves briefly warned her of her wetted flap of skin and fur as it brushed the solid wood flooring inside the tent, and then she swung that arm forward in full force, the wispy thin whip launching forward at Noir and cracking the air right in front of his face, stinging harshly and spraying him with tiny droplets.
“How… dare you!!” Jasmine snapped. “Do you have no shame at all, Noir? Coming in here looking like that and joking about my appearance?”
She let out a heated huff and shoved herself up from the bath, her paws giving slight complaint from contact with anything other than air. “We’re moving along. Perhaps you’ll behave yourself if I’m able to keep a direct eye on you.” She ran the upper side of her paws along her fur, weakly brushing the dripping sauna water out of her fur, but still having it pull at the fur from her waist down and dribbling along the floor as her claws clicked with each step. “We’ll visit the Wonder Room next and see what entertainment they have to offer.”
The whip hadn’t made direct contact with him but the rush of air and the needle shower of water droplets hitting his face hurt more than expected. Noir dropped his head immediately and rubbed his paws over his eyes. He didn’t know what he did to upset her but she made a reference to how he looked. Confusion set in as he looked back at her again.
“Looking like what? I was already evolved before I met you,” he replied, unaware of what she truly meant. He stood on his hind legs and turned to her fully. Without knowing what she was upset about, he could only assume the best course of action was to move on to another activity or change the topic in some way.
“Wonder Room it is then,” he muttered. Now further saddened by her harsh reaction over something he didn’t understand, the hatred began to bubble in his chest but after thinking over all they went through together, it subsided. His mind took a more submissive role as he remembered his original intent. He was a thief. He originally posed as a dancer in order to gain entrance to the theatre to rob them blind. He had taken a bit of a soft-hearted stance on Jasmine and agreed to defend her for money (or to figuratively slap her father in the face) but now he wasn’t so sure. What kept him around? They fought several times, didn’t see eye to eye or just misunderstood one another on an almost weekly basis. Was it truth they needed? Should he just let this job go?
His ears began to burn in embarrassment as he quickly made his way out of the spa and away from Jasmine. The real question was, did he WANT to let her go? If he told her the truth, she’d hate him and he’d lose all chances of completing his job. And if he didn’t tell her, she’d find out eventually when he’d complete the job but… what was the point? All this work he did with the guilds made decent money and he was actually acknowledged by his peers. Why did he feel so empty?
Part of him wondered how his ‘aunt’ was doing. He pondered over visiting her later on that day or night but should he tell Jasmine about himself before he did?
Before he realized it, Noir had wandered off down the beach. His eyes snapped forward to see others staring at him curiously. He apologized for interrupting their game and high-tailed it back to where Jasmine had directed prior to him leaving the spa tent.
Together they headed for the great tree of Tabira and then to the bar down below. The wooden support beams along the tunnel were sturdy but the odd tunnel beneath the tree seemed ominous. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel lead to the entranceway of the bar. Several patrons talked amongst themselves as they enjoyed their time off from work. A small orchestra played its tune for the individuals present and gave an overall feeling of warmth and belonging.
Noir instantly liked the ambience and took it upon himself to take a seat at the bar. Jasmine, who he assumed to have never been to a tavern-type place, was left to fend for herself in the crowds of the unfamiliar abode. After her strike at him earlier, he wasn’t too keen on shovelling out ‘niceties’ in her direction.
Jasmine had similar feelings on the whole to him as well. Currently, she was feeling too stung by his apparent escapades to want him suddenly introducing her to others as though it were a night on the town, just the two of them…
She uncomfortably worked her way through the warm, cheerful, active crowd in the Wonder Room’s bar, focusing half on her cautiously placed footsteps and half on her thoughts. Something about that the idea did give her a warm feeling. Her ears flicked back as confusion set in, making her wonder just why.
“Something bugging you, sweet cheeks?”
The snarky voice made her instinctively press her elbows into her sides. It was one she’d heard before… with a sigh, she turned toward it, taking in the figure of a Sableye in a tanned vest eyeing her, one leg crossed over their knee as they held a glass up in their claws. They were grinning smugly.
“Do not call me that again. I told you my name the last time we met,” she growled.
“Sorry sweet cheeks, can’t hear ya over the music!” The ghost waved their glass nonchalantly, their sharp teeth flashing wider as the grin cracked open.
How wonderful. Even when away from Noir, she had someone else just like him to tend with.
“Why you giving me that look?” they asked. “Come on, lighten up. Enjoy the party! I saw you smack Marshy around, that’s something to be proud of. And hey, you and your boyfriend made it out of there in one piece! And now here you are even prettier than ever.”
“He is not my boyfriend.” Jasmine’s teeth flashed in turn, though her expression was not one of mirth.
“Then you should fix that,” came the reply. “Come on, fess up to yourself. I told you before and I’ll tell you now, your feelings are just gonna kill you if you bottle ‘em in like that. Maybe find a third party if you have to! Your mom, or his dad or something. Talk it out and ask ‘em to tell you if they think you’re in love. Nobody knows their kid’s heart as well as their parents.”
At last, that Sharpedo-toothed grin faded. Albeit slightly. “Because I know what it’s like to make mistakes that get people hurt. Letting your emotions blow up all at once. Your boyfriend - okay fine. Your fox friend over there, he looks like he took some smacks to the face a lot. Maybe if you want him to change something, you should use words instead of whips.”
It had become enough for Jasmine. “Good-bye, imp,” she stated, turning on her heel and throwing her nose into the air, wanting no further part of the conversation.
“Yup. Bye sweet cheeks!” the ghost called back unabashed, then tossed down another gulp of their drink.
The reverie only grew louder with time. The welcoming environment seemed to soothe the soul. Noir soaked it all in like sunshine to a plant. In the few moments away from Jasmine, he was at it again. Only this time, HE was approached by two lovely ladies. The three of them laughed loudly, another patron at the bar joined in.
Once the laughter reduced to a chuckle, Noir shook his head and took a swig of his drink before clanking it down on the countertop below. He held up his hands as he began to speak. “No, no. You told it wrong. The Metapod used harden but it failed.”
The Pokémon around him burst out laughing harder than they had before. One of the girls was a tall Servine who took the seat to Noir’s left. She leaned forward and set a leafy appendage on his hand. “I swear, that’s the oldest joke in the book. You must think you’re so slick.”
Noir playfully winked and opened his mouth to respond but his eyes caught Jasmine further in the bar. His mind went blank for a moment as he realized his time was being wasted goofing around. This wasn’t the best place to tell her a thing and he had a feeling that his mind wouldn’t give him a break unless he confessed soon.
“What’s wrong?” the girl asked with a sudden look of concern. The look immediately changed to what could be taken as a seductive tease, “Aw, no come-back? You were such fun a minute ago~”
Noir let out a half-hearted chuckle, “Ha, by the looks of you, I don’t think you’d ever have anyone coming back.” He heard the general sounds of disapproval but he didn’t stop to hear whatever insult the girl had given. He stood from the counter and waved at the barkeep once before heading after Jasmine.
Maybe they could find a table somewhere there or something but he couldn’t just leave that awkward air between them to sour. The problem needed to be addressed as soon as possible.
Jasmine had made her way back toward Noir, once more surrounded by women - she paused in stride, beginning to clench her paws into fists and stopping only when her singed nerves gave protest - just as he had slid from his barstool and met her gaze. Anger flashed in her eyes as the distance between them closed.
“Noir,” she said. “We need to talk. There’s something I believe I should tell you.”
He had just begun to say the same but she blurted her words out faster than he could. Partially stunned, he nodded and glanced around. The nightclub was packed with individuals and there were no empty places that they could talk.
“Same with me to you but not here,” he stated the obvious. His mind filtered through the different activities before continuing with, “Where did you want to go to talk?”
She was surprised, finding that he had his own concerns to address, but then they were probably exactly the same issues that she hoped to clear up. “I’m not certain, but privacy would be appreciated.” Jasmine, too, was trying to process where might be a proper place to go. The festivities were widespread, meaning that any public area was likely to be filled with visitors eager to celebrate the fall of a great danger…
Theatre Vagary. There were no performances scheduled today; her father had told her as much while planning her next dance routine for the week. As such, the building would be closed. She explained as much to Noir. “Father’s theatre,” she said. “It’s locked now, but I know how to get in during closed hours. We’ll have enough quiet there.”
As expected, Noir grimaced at the thought. “Ugh. No. I can’t speak around him. At least… not what I want to say.” His expression shifted to pain-filled as he thought over options. He had thought about his ‘aunt’ earlier and it would definitely be quiet compared to the busy town atmosphere. He was planning to tell her about his original plan regarding her theatre and doing it AT her dad’s doorstep scared him.
“Actually…” he spoke, his voice trailed lightly as he collected his thoughts. “I have a… uh… former guardian. I call her my aunt but we aren’t really related by blood. She lives in a forested area near here and there are plenty of places where we could talk without worry over who would -”
He stopped immediately as he realized he was asking a ritzy girl like her to accompany him to some secluded area. Of COURSE she would prefer her own theatre. Noir facepalmed and groaned at his own stupidity. “Ugh… I just don’t want to be around that theatre if I’m going to say anything, you know? Is there a place nearby there we can talk and not IN IT?”
Jasmine’s brow cocked at the mention of a guardian. The last time she’d thought about finding out more about his upbringing… well, that was when they had first caught Madeline! Curse herself for becoming so distracted so very constantly… Having a written schedule to refer to worked wonders for matters like this.
“Hmm… I think I’d like to meet your aunt quite soon,” she said. “In fact, what I’ve been meaning to address would be better approached by a third, unbiased party… but for now, yes, I believe I know just the place.”
She took his hand and guided him, declaring simply “come along” as she followed the path which led first to Theatre Vagary, and then beyond it into a small cluster of trees. To most, the area would have seemed a miniature forest that simply hadn’t been cleared for the sake of maintaining a pleasant view of flora inside of Tabira without strictly limiting the sights to a single enormous tree. In some respects, they would be right about that. This space was owned by the Cenoreilles family, attached to the land on which their property stood, but was enough of a distance away to go unseen and forgotten by those who weren’t aware of the tiny grove cut out inside, a secret meeting place which the family had long since designed as a last resort; in case danger should ever strike they would have this solitude to come back to and rejoin with one another.
It was just as she remembered it since her last visit, with small logs overturned and yet preserved for seating, a ring of stones piled in the center to help start a fire. It was a simple place, not meant for a long stay by any means, but this wouldn’t be a matter she intended to have a long and arduous discussion over, either.
Noir observed the scene with interest (and spite). The display was yet another reason to dislike the wealthy… If this area hadn’t been used, it would be a perfect spot for extra housing or a public park. He bit his tongue on the matter, however, and promptly sat in front of one of the small logs placed in front of a fire area. He rested his back on the log and draped his arm (the arm on the side without a wound) over the top in a decently relaxed position. He needed to psyche himself up some. He was about to confess…
“So… uh… Who first?”
“Well, as I said I think my concerns would be better addressed with someone else… certainly not father. I’m sure we can handle the matter with some help. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Jasmine sat down gently as she spoke, tossing aside the hanging strands from her wrists so that they would not be caught underneath her when she lowered herself onto a log near Noir. She crossed her legs and folded her bandaged paws neatly in her lap, watching him expectantly.
Noir took a deep breath and exhaled once before taking another to begin. There was some hesitation as his mind fought over telling the information or sidestepping with something completely unrelated. His brow furrowed as the determination collected then he eventually let the words flow.
“Remember when we were interviewed by that leader of the scholars? They asked us about where we got our talent and how we honed our skills or whatever. She misunderstood when I said I was born with a natural ability all Zoruas and Zoroarks have. I wasn’t trained, really. I didn’t know what to say then but I played it off as a joke. The truth is, I don’t have parents. I grew up mostly alone. I had to fight for food or shelter and constantly moved from one trash pile to the next to stay one step ahead of the rain. You know all those fancy dinners you rich folk have? Do you realize how much food you throw out with each fancy gathering? It was enough to feed an entire community of what you… or rather, what the wealthy, would call ‘street rats’.”
Noir paused to revise the tone he was beginning to take. There wasn’t any surprise that he hated those types of Pokémon. That was evident throughout several of their missions within the guild objectives and it was fruitless to take it out on her.
“I was still unevolved when they caught up to me. Beat me senseless, called me names. I did whatever I could to survive. And that’s when my aunt stepped in. Again, she’s not blood related to me but that’s what I started calling her. She gave me a home for a while and dealt with my idiot self. As you can probably guess, I blamed everyone else for how I lived. I took on job after job with no real interest in money, though it is a nice perk. My real goal was to show the wealthier lot how the rest lived. And… that’s where your theatre came in.”
Another pause broke his story as he gathered enough courage. She must have already suspected what he was about to say. “I had only lived with my aunt until I managed to evolve on my own. I supported myself on thievery. I learned how to walk and talk like them. I always had a knack for mimicking others and it proved useful in infiltrating different places and robbing them blind. A while back, my last job in fact, was to pose as a dancer and befriend as many as I could in order to find out where the owner kept his riches. If it hadn’t been for the daughter of the owner to pick me as a bodyguard, I probably would have gone through with it. I sincerely didn’t think that I’d-”
He was stopped by a slap across the cheek. Jasmine’s expression had slowly graduated from her usual calm, inscrutable mask to a wide-eyed stare of offended disbelief, which only cracked briefly as she grasped at her paw, now alight with pain from the blow that stung the skin under her bandages. She gasped, letting out a strangled “Ah-!!”, hissed in a breath through her teeth and leaned upright again. When her eyes opened again, she was fixing the Zoroark with the deadliest combination of hellfire and deathly chill he may have ever seen.
“I cannot believe you.” Her voice came out a whisper, nearly inaudible even with the trees around them unruffled by winds, with Noir’s own voice cut short. She pressed on, “You wanted to take advantage of my home, my family… and you wait until now to even confess that much…” She groaned, a huff of air that failed to relieve the pressure that weighed her down from inside. A mixture of frustration with herself that she’d ever trusted his sudden timely appearance on the very day she wanted to strike out on her own to be a trustworthy gesture, and with him for making such a move to begin with… she had no idea which hurt worse.
“How long?” she demanded. “How long were you planning to act on this after we had joined the guilds? You wait for all this time to even confess; how am I to know this isn’t your last act, something to convince you whether or not you STILL want to go through with it?”
Her heart was beating in her chest; her composure was crumbling and now she could no longer sit up straight, only able to glare at Noir. “Why now, Noir?” she demanded, struggling with every fiber not to add on the challenging remark ‘if that is your real name’. “Why?”
His first reaction was shock. Even if her anger was justified, he thought she’d be understanding enough to wait until he was through speaking. “What do you mean ‘wait until now to confess’? I’m telling you now because I’m not going through with it! Do you think I’m that stupid to reveal a plan to the family I’d rob? WOW. You must think I’m an idiot.”
Noir’s ears pressed back further. Now his own temper was boiling as he addressed her other question on how long. His teeth showed past his snarl as he spoke. “I’m a cr- I WAS a criminal, Jasmine,” he corrected himself quickly. “You were always a target. Some rich girl decides to cling to some random guy who walked into her home and she expects him to - what? Have nothing but rainbows and adventure on the brain? Weren’t you listening? What have you experienced, WITH ME, during our work? Remember the Don hoarding water? Pokemon like me? We see your family and the Don as one and the same. You’re all evil and need to be taken down a peg or two.”
With this, he stood and moved a little away from her. His mouth was working faster than his brain. He couldn’t understand her logic but then again, he could only see his side of the story. The majority of his thoughts crushed that rationalization in favor of pride. “I thought you’d understand after getting to know me but you’re just as heartless as ever.” He snapped his gaze in her direction, finally releasing anger on her that should have been directed elsewhere. “I actually thought you were different. You seemed to care about the rest of us. Was THAT all a lie?”
“A LIE?” The look on Jasmine’s face was constant and unflinching, wide-eyed horror and outrage that was only now added to by the damp streaks that marked her fur and ran down her cheeks. “You think I’m heartless; no better than that monster Kapon? How could it have been an act when I came back, attacked his hired guards so that you could escape with us? When I bandaged your wounds after Madeline had her way with us?” She raised her paws, shaking her own bandaged paws in the air to punctuate her words. “When I commanded Gilgamarsh to let you go, even if my body - these hands were a hundred times weaker than yours?”
The tears now flowed freely; no matter how staunchly she hoped to maintain a brave face it was far too late; he had broken her. She stood and stepped over the bench that had been her seating, aiming herself directly away from him and holding out one of her paws in dismissal to him. Her vision had become blurred, but she didn’t care. “I wanted for us to share our feelings, but this… for you to hate me this much…!”
Her footsteps had once again become unsteady, just when she was beginning to acclimate herself to it, she was once again walking like a newborn. That only compounded her misery. “I can’t… I need time alone, Noir. I’m not…”
She didn’t finish that sentence, uncertain what else there was that could be said. If Noir had some response to make, it could only be as harsh and biting as the rest of his words had been, and she would not stay to hear them. Alone, she left the clearing and hurried back through the woods, fighting back further tears and losing that battle horribly. She had to get away, to find some place to recover her wits.
Noir had readied himself to bite back at her in the wake of her initial statements. But all ill intent ended at the sight of her tears. His own snarl dropped in surprise as the realization hit that he had harmed her more than he originally thought. Before he could even attempt to apologize, she had turned away from him and held up her hand to silence him.
He began to go after her but his legs froze in place as if his feet had sunken into thick mud. It was an odd feeling of loneliness engulfing him now as the chilly air of dusk set in. The breeze felt like ice sliding across his skin as he stood, petrified of the events that unfolded only a few seconds before.
Should he go after her? He wasn’t even sure where she had gone. And after his confession of robbery, he couldn’t go back to her theatre to search for her either!
Then, why should he go after her at all? Maybe this was for the best. He didn’t need her money and he didn’t care about stealing from her father anymore. So maybe the best thing to do would be to know when to quit.
His eyes dropped to the ground as his body released all tension. The chill had seeped into his bones and his eyelids felt heavy. Where had all his energy gone? This wasn’t the first time this had happened but at least before he had been fighting. And yet, this was different in that he felt… hollow.
“No use sticking around here…” he told himself as he glanced over at the darkened stone circle and seats. If Jasmine had gone back to her father, he would send whoever he could find to deliver Noir’s head on a platter. He scoffed at the idea of him having a high bounty but then again, Pietre would be the type to offer it low then justify it as ‘that’s all he’s worth.’
Noir sighed deeply and glanced off in the direction Jasmine had gone. There was no sign of her now and he didn’t think talking to her would change anything. His shoulders slumped slightly, one arm grasping the wound at his side as he made his way back to the Wonder Room. Maybe there he could fill that empty feeling inside him.
Unbeknownst to Noir, Jasmine had already made it to the Wonder Room before him - with nowhere else to go, she had decided that the piano she had spotted on the stage in the gaming area would be as good a means of venting her suffering as any. She cleaned her face as best she could, though the remnant streaks in her still-drying fur were not lost on the Shuckle pianist, nor the still-red skin of her paws as she removed her bandages. However, her insistence that she needed to play proved too strong against his apparent concern, and he stepped down to allow her access to the ivories.
Jasmine had at first come to the Wonder Room hoping to relieve herself of the still-fresh wounds that stung her psyche; perhaps by seeing the smiling faces of Pokémon simply living life, she could return herself - however fleetingly - to the peace and sanctum of her life a Theatre Vagary, a time before the suffering of guild work, of stress, and of Noir. But as she took in the faces of the other patrons she could see only the faces of Pokémon just like herself - ones who had been weathered by the storms of life, too far gone from the pleasures of safe haven and home now that they too had entered into the harsh reality that guild work weighed upon them. She had no such escape.
She pressed her left index digit down into the C key, wincing as her roasted nerves gave protest, and then spread her paws in ready to play the other keys. The F key now, and then a full chord. Slowly, painfully, she fell into music, her keystrokes gradually becoming faster while her skin screamed at her to stop, though she would not listen. She had to release herself from the agony somehow, and however much her paws ached, it was only a fleeting moment of suffering compared to what she absolutely had to let out.
Faster she played, invoking a chorus of notes that built and fell like a wave crashing against a mountainside, passion and frenzy apparent in the song that poured from her soul into the piano. Time began to stand still, and she welcomed the simplicity as she slowly drained herself, the crescendoing tune building like the storm of emotions that had struck her since the first day she had joined Tabira’s guild.
Even with time slowed to a crawl, her song was over all too soon. She breathed, only then realizing that she had been moving so quickly that her heart raced to keep up with her motions. She could feel many eyes on her, whether they were astonished by her music for better or worse she did not know, and didn’t want to. She stood up, gently brushing the piano stool out from under her, and stepped down from the stage with her head high and her eyes just barely lidded, allowing her to see where she was walking without having to take in the faces of the hundreds of faces gawking at her.
Now that she had returned from the void of music, she could only return to her thoughts. What lay in the future for her with the guilds? She had grown to realize that her strength was not enough to manage against the hardships that the guild faced. Noir’s revelation that he had been hardened by suffering since childhood only further cemented the fact that she relied on his strength if she was to survive. Had it not been for the sheer force of his stinging words in the clearing, she might even be willing to dismiss his past intentions. No… she could not fool herself. She still desperately wanted to, as pained as she was in the moment. She cracked her eyes further open, hoping against hope to find him waiting somewhere in the room.
Noir… why would you choose now of all times to break my heart…?
