Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[NebulaDreams]

"I... I did?" Curio sensed a bit of tense energy from Brisa before, but she didn't realise it was because of this. Since she recovered from that incident, she reflected on their conversation at the café before they went their separate ways for a bit. No wonder she was so hostile when that shadow possessed her. She gulped, but still maintained eye contact with Brisa. "I-I'm sorry. Back then, it's just-- I--" her face scrunched up, eyes shut--"fuck, I don't know what to say!"

Curio grasped at her temples, reliving the radiance incident and the brief shock she experienced back when Shadow Brisa restrained her in that cage. "I wasn't in a good state then, I seriously wasn't. If you wanna know what happened, I was tortured, okay? There, end of story. I don't wanna say anythin' else."

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. They were damp. Of all times to start blubbering like a Riolu-- wait, she was one. Never mind.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shook her head hard, feeling an awful tightness in her chest.

"No, no, Curio... you don't gotta be sorry, or tell me anythin' at all. I figured it was somethin' like that."

She gingerly put out a paw to comfort her friend. Was that... okay? She hoped so. She rested it on Curio's shoulder and squeezed gently, the way Owen had once done for her.

"I had a lot of time to think about it in that pit with Starr, and I realised that usin' my Radiance on you... I couldn't've known how it would affect you. I get that now. It weren't wrong of you to hurt so bad from it, and I ain't to blame for not knowin'. I just... I felt that way cause of... yeah. My pa."

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Okay, okay, thanks.” She sniffled and took Brisa’s paw, squeezing it. "And yeah, exactly. I didn't tell you all of my crap, and you didn't tell me Jesse thought of you as..." She sighed. "Just thinking about that makes me sick. To his own fucking daughter as well. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded, her own eyes beginning to water.

"Thanks, Curio..."

A sharp pang of shame made her let go of Curio as she steeled herself to finish what she was leading to.

"I thought I stood a chance of changin', of bein' better than Jesse thought I was. I know how to hold back in sparrin' matches, same as anyone. But then... in Shaymin Village..."

Her paws started to shake.

"I fuckin' mauled you, Curio. I'm so sorry for it, but I mauled you like a... like a violent animal. It happened. ...I'm always so scared of hurtin' people without meanin' to. My Pa told me I'd kill someone one day if I didn't quit fightin'. 'Manslaughter', that was the word he used. I'm sure he was right. One day I'll go too far by accident and I'll have blood on my paws forever. I can't keep livin', knowin' that about myself."

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Please, please, stop with that self-pitying bullshit!" She stood up, pointing at Brisa. "You got possessed! It happened to Cynthian, and he flipped the fuck out as well, but guess what? That wasn't his fault. I dealt with it and he recovered just fine from it! The same thing happened to you, so stop acting like you're never gonna get any better!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

'Self-pity.' Starr had said something about that, too. 'Pity party'. Was that really what she was doing? Brisa flinched at the recrimination, but...

Curio believed she could get better. Curio was talking to her even after the... the mauling.

And yet...

"I'm tryin', Curio. I'm really tryin' so hard, I swear. But that stuff... just because I was hit by that machine doesn't mean those thoughts and feelings ain't inside me. I...

She took a sharp breath.

"Curio, I put my teeth in my best friend's neck when I was a kid, and I never saw her again. And then about a week ago, I tried to apologise to Starr for bein' hard on her, and I ended up startin' a fight that left both of us half dead. I don't feel like I'm gettin' any better. I think..."

Her gaze met Curio's green eyes again.

"I think I need help, Curio."

 

[NebulaDreams]

"I'm tryin', Curio. I'm really tryin' so hard, I swear. But that stuff... just because I was hit by that machine doesn't mean those thoughts and feelings ain't inside me. I...

"No shit, that's how they get to you, dredging up all your deep, dark thoughts."

"Curio, I put my teeth in my best friend's neck when I was a kid, and I never saw her again. And then about a week ago, I tried to apologise to Starr for bein' hard on her, and I ended up startin' a fight that left both of us half dead. I don't feel like I'm gettin' any better. I think..."

Curio slowly sat down as Brisa confessed. A part of it was news to her, but at the same time, she wasn't shocked by any of it.

Her gaze met Curio's green eyes again.

"I think I need help, Curio."

"Well, you didn't kill your friend back there, and Starr's, well, she's friends with you now, right? She must've cared about you enough to try and snap you out of it back in the fight with that machine. So..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Starr? Yeah, I... I think so? I don't know if she considers me a friend, but she's my friend. And- and so are you."

Brisa felt her ears burn.

"That's what's gettin' me through this right now. Knowin' I got at least some friends that ain't givin' up on me."

Oh, sky and stars. Was it too much to hope for that Curio would hug her again?

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Starr? Yeah, I... I think so? I don't know if she considers me a friend, but she's my friend. And- and so are you."

Curio smiled. "Well, thanks, and you are too." She suddenly burst out laughing. This was like one of those over the top cartoons about swordfights and friendship and whatnot. But she didn't care.

"That's what's gettin' me through this right now. Knowin' I got at least some friends that ain't givin' up on me."

"You got that right." She was never going to run around and desert her. Why did she have to think of that song of all things right now? "I'm never gonna give you up-- I mean, give up on you. That's a promise."

Curio winked and outstretched her paw to Brisa.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Curio wouldn't give up on her. Even if she lost everything else... Brisa would count on that. Why was her heart beating so hard?

Brisa tentatively put out a paw and took Curio's in hers. She wasn't sure what to do. Was this... a handshake?

 

[NebulaDreams]

Curio shook Brisa’s paw for a few seconds then stopped... but still didn’t let go. She felt awkward just giving a handshake, but she wasn’t sure if Brisa wanted a hug just yet. Well, she hugged her before, but that was more of a ‘I haven’t seen you in 3 days and I thought you were dead’ hug.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

It wasn't a hug, just a handshake-! Fuck, were they not close enough for hugs? Did they make Curio feel trapped? Was it too soon after their last hug? It hadn't been a week yet, that might be too soon. What if it wasn't okay-???

oh gods oh gods oh gods goddamnit, she should just trust her fucking friend already-

Brisa pulled Curio by the paw and flung her forelimbs around the riolu, and hugged her close.

"I won't give up on you either."

 

[NebulaDreams]

Curio didn’t respond or express any surprise at Brisa hugging her right away. She just squeezed her tightly and didn’t let go. She hadn’t felt this way in a while. A part of it was scary. She wasn’t ready to unload everything to Brisa. Not just yet. But she was getting there.

“Thanks, pard’ner.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa made a sound that was half-laugh, half-snort.

"Huh? 'Pard'ner'? Curio, I don't sound anythin' like that!"

She savoured the hug a little longer before letting go, still anxious not to hug for longer than was okay. Once it ended, she was left with a fullness in her chest and a lightness in her head. She looked up at Curio and-

Oh, how good it was to see her smile.

Really, really good.

...

Ah.

Brisa sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and dropped her gaze, conscious that while her ears would be cooking themselves regardless, meeting Curio's eyes any longer would just make it worse. She tried to say goodbye while she still had full command of her tongue and wasn't visibly blushing through her goddamn fur.

"Hey, ah, thanks for listenin'," she said. "I honestly feel a whole lot better. I mean that. Look, um. I wanna check on our friends at the clinic and get my personal effects, but... d'you wanna meet each other at the portal, head on into Destiny Village togeth- uh, later?"

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Oh c’mon, that’s a Kantonian Fried drawl if I’ve ever heard one.”

Curio felt Brisa let go, but she didn’t mind.

"Hey, ah, thanks for listenin'," she said. "I honestly feel a whole lot better. I mean that. Look, um. I wanna check on our friends at the clinic and get my personal effects, but... d'you wanna meet each other at the portal, head on into Destiny Village togeth- uh, later?"

“Yeah, sure. I might see if there’s anythin’ else going on here myself. But tell Starr and Astrid I give them my best wishes.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Uh, okay! ...be seein' ya, Curio!"

Brisa almost went in for another quick hug, but nerves held her back, and she waved a goodbye as she loped off back along the beach.

Well, that went great. Really great. Good talk. Good hug.

But oh, stars. What was going on with her heart? It was pounding a mile a minute, pumping blood to her flushing ears. Oh no, no no no no no.

She needed some space to think that shit through. Talking to Astrid properly for the first time in a couple weeks was gonna be tough, probably tough enough to keep her mind off it. Let's go do that right away...

 

[Fusion]

The afternoon sun shined brightly above the beach, glistening over the ocean's surface. A cool breeze rolled in from the water. And Vix sat alone on a rock, her face buried in a book. Sure she still had some preparations to do for Icetale's party, but the art of courting was surprisingly captivating.

"Fascinating..." Vix muttered, her flame burning hotter than normal. "I wonder if I should try some of these sometime..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

After his encounter with Leg, Cynthian had wandered around the streets of Destiny Village aimlessly until he somehow made it back to where Maple had placed the portals.

Cynthian found himself back in Treasure Town again, though he didn't go about seeking any of his companions. He wanted to have some quiet time without the hubris of other activities. His aimless wandering eventually brought him to the beach. He always ended up going back there, and it was becoming a habit.

The ocean view was always a calming sight. Sand crunched under Cynthian's feet as he walked towards the shore. A glint caught his eye, and he found a certain someone sitting on a rock all by herself. Of course, he should've expected to find at least one of the others at the beach too, though he wondered why Vix chose to perch herself on a rock, or why she had her face buried in a book.

"What are you reading?" Cynthian asked as he approached her.

 

[Fusion]

Of course, Vix didn't expect to be alone forever. Of course she should have expected someone to show up eventually. She didn't hide herself away, so it made sense that she'd have been approached sooner or later.

That didn't stop her from letting out a startled cry and throwing the book aside. Vix spun herself around, a purple color in her cheeks. "Oh! Cynthian, hi! What're you up to?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian half shrugged and looked towards the ocean. He drew a sigh and leaned against the rock Vix was sitting on.

"Nothing much, really. I've just been roaming about since we stopped that machine earlier." He turned towards her with a faint smile. "What about you? You seem to be holding up quite well. That's good to see."