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“‘Course. The world needs more hugs.” For minutes afterward—many many minutes—they enjoyed the view together. Stories from back home were shared back and forth as the sun patiently crawled across the sky… <><><><><>

She accepted the gift underpawed, holding it, weighing it. With a simple rotation, the gemstone—sapphire?—refracted the sunlight like pure water. It fit snugly onto her foreleg, where she decided then and there it would stay put for the indefinite future. Cynthian’s words were very nice. Astrid...

“I grew up battling with the other Vulpix from my age group. It was a lifestyle.” Astrid’s ear twitched. She was no longer looking at Cynthian. “Environment is really important. And I think Cibus—I think being here on an important mission—has encouraged some of us focus on our battling more...

Astrid cast a glance to her side. “Do you like to battle?”

A nod. “Yup. Practice makes perfect.” Astrid settled into the grass, relaxing her paws by curling into a loaf. Once again, the view had enchanted her.

A paw was again raised in the Roselia’s direction, eyes closed. She could feel it already. She could not see, but she could indeed feel how his essence had changed. Cynthian was covered in two distinct blankets, encompassing his ethereal image. They were familiar to her: Attack, and Magic...

“I was told once that ‘mobility is everything’, and in Cibus, with these bodies, I think I understand what they meant now,” Astrid tittered. “Psych Up is great for this. Remember the very first thing I did when we were sparring on the beach?” Springing up, she paced in a half-circle around...

A single, powerful blow. A single sentence with no wind to carry it off—lingering. “I really do think you're amazing, Astrid.” A list of things followed shortly after. Just… thing after thing after thing. Mundane things. Details. Specifics. Plenty of them. Aurora Veil? Zane? Thing after thing...

Astrid didn’t just giggle this time; she’d devolved into full-on laughter. “I thought it was brilliant! Who would’ve known that she… heh.” She cleared her throat. Her Weather Ball? Surely it hadn’t done very much damage; that hadn’t been her role thus far. And yet, the compliment rang in her...

“We’ll catch her. We will,” Astrid affirmed, turning back to the cliffside’s gift of a view. A familiar confidence brimmed in her voice, and—wow did it feel nice. She’d missed feeling this way. “After that last encounter, I can’t help but wonder if she’s really all that smart. Her stun tactics…”...

Astrid opened her mouth, then closed it again. Shifting gears, she brushed her rightmost tail against his left arm (stem?). “If it helps, I’m sure there’ll be plenty to explore here. With these portals,” she said, shivering, “we can see any continent. Pursue this crisis to the edges of the...

Astrid flashed a grin. “Kept ‘em. Read through every document and studied every piece.” She grew more sober as she scrutinized the memory further. “Eventually, almost all of it made its way to museums. I’m sure most of it was either thrown on a storage shelf somewhere or pawned off to...

Her eyes dotted from cloud to cirrus cloud high in the sky, each one containing the image of a story to tell. “I was born on a small, distant island, but moved to the Water Continent. That became home for me.” Astrid’s lip quivered. “Ahh, one of my favorite stories to tell is the time my friend...

‘Were’? Astrid swallowed. “I—yes, I am part of an exploration team. Currently.” She wasn’t sure of the dichotomy between the two terms in the Roselia’s world, so she did her best to offer a description. “We saved people and made maps. It’s been my dream since I was little and… yep! Here I am.”...

Oh? Cynthian was looking for her? “I’m just reminiscing on some of my travels. Care to join?” she impulsively said, patting the space next to her. Her eyes found their way back to the horizon’s modest curvature. “It’s a wonderful day.”

Astrid wandered the streets aimlessly… well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was a rhythm to her footsteps, how she would walk from one end of town to the other. A straight shot, back and forth—not unlike Treasure Town’s main street, and very much unlike Lively Town’s complicated, dungeon-like...

If her anger were able to take physical form, Astrid would have melted like an ice cream cone on a summer day by now. The team was in chaos before Zane acted out; they did not need this energy right now. Something channeled through Astrid that she didn’t even know she had. “You’re a liability,”...

Astrid could taste the tension in the air. Without a word, she shifted her weight to her haunches: silent, but ready. And oh, Curio was punching Zane now. So much for being ready. “Wh—n—hey—!” Curio was a bolt of lighting, seemingly able to create momentum from nowhere. Astrid reached out and...