The afternoon sun shone brightly over a crowded street, the scene of a break-in at a jewelry store. Broken glass sparkled on the pavement, smoke and debris from the passing battle littered the sidewalk. A Gardevoir and Zoroark stood over a group of five Pokemon, four Krokorok and one Krookidile. The passersby hardly batted an eye, aside from the one or two children that applauded the two.
"That's the third break-in since morning. Might just be me, but I'm getting tired of being on my feet all day," Zoroark groaned, rolling his neck.
"I was hoping everything would die down as winter rolled in, but of course it only got worse," Gardevoir sighed, cuffing the last of the crocs. Something in her satchel makes a loud beeping sound, her phone. She pulls it out, momentarily forgetting how to even use it, and sees a message on screen:
Mawile:
["Surprise Check-In, see you in a bit"]
"What's up? Another break-in?" Zoroark asked, looking over her shoulder for a second.
Gardevoir shook her head, holding her forehead. "No, it's worse than that. I'd hate to leave this all on you today but-"
"Don't you worry about little old me, I'll be fine," Zoroark interrupted. "After I take a short breather, I'll be ready for another fight or two. You worry about whatever you gotta do, alright? I might even be able to fight with that Lucario hero guy, whatever his name is."
"It's Krys, and thanks. Good luck out there," Gardevoir nodded as she ran off, waving goodbye. She looked back down at her phone again, grimacing at the message. "As if today wasn't stressful enough. Goddammit."
<><><>
High above the deafening noises of a bustling city, leaning on the edge of a high rise balcony, Gardevoir let out a tired sigh. She looked with half open eyes over the city, at the oranges and yellows of the evening sunlight that were scattered from building to building. It did wonders to make the cluttered, tightly-packed city look nicer than it was. A chilling breeze rusted Gardevoir's curled green locks, but she was more than used to it by now. There were other things on her mind that were bothering her anyway.
"When the hell is she gonna get here?" Gardevoir looked over her shoulder, looking through her glass door at a clock on a nearby wall. "She's even later than usual, dammit.
Uhg."
Suddenly, Gardevoir's phone dinged. She expected a message from Mawile, but was happily surprised by someone else messaging her.
"
Fluffy Dork":
["Yo, hust finished work."]
["*Just. Sorry, still got sausage claws."]
A smile crept its way onto Gardevoir as she went to type her reply.
Me:
["I already offered to file them down for you, but someone was against that for some reason."]
"
Fluffy Dork":
["Forgive me for qanting to keep my fingers. Not having them qould make qork difficult."]
["... I am not correcting those."]
Gardevoir covered her mouth as she snorted, grateful she was entirely alone here.
Me:
["Alright alright, I see your point. But qork would be incredibly easy without fingers, since it doesn't exist."]
"
Fluffy Dork":
["Making fun of how I slave over typing now?"]
["You must be bored out of your mind."]
"You don't know the half of it," Gardevoir chuckled.
Me:
["Maybe, maybe not. She hasn't shown up yet, so are you alright not coming back for a little while?"]
It took a minute before a reply came in.
"
Fluffy Dork:"
["I've been wanting to walk the streets at this time of day anyway."]
["Stay safe, alright?"]
Me:
["You're the one strolling around Azure City, if either of us need to be careful, it's totally you."]
With that, Gardevoir shut off her phone and sighed. Now was probably the best time to make sure everything was still nice and tidy. Her guest could arrive in the middle of the night, but if
one pillow is on the floor she'll get an earful and a half over it.
Gardevoir walked over to the sliding glass door and slid it open, leaving it cracked to allow that breeze to inside. Her apartment was large and open, as a penthouse suite should be. White and black carpets laid on the dark oak floor, with most of the furniture following that same color scheme. There weren't any paintings or decorations other than the odd fancy vase that no one was allowed to touch. Everything was clean and pristine, perfectly in order, perfectly set, perfectly everything.
"All this cleanup for someone who probably won't show up for another few hours," Gardevoir rolled her shoulders, wincing slightly. "Just call these meetings on all my rough days, why don't you…"
She sat herself on her white and black sofa, making sure not to mess with the pillows she spent so much time on getting in
just the right spot. Her body ached, and since she was called out from work for this, she didn't really have the time to rest. Sure, the person she was meeting with was almost always late, but every
single time Gardevoir tried to lay down for a little while or rest and relax before she arrived, that nuisance would show up and berate her for it.
"Any minute now. Not like I have anything better to do," Gardevoir rolled her head back, staring at the elevator and waiting for a loud chime to announce someone's arrival.
Several minutes passed and, as expected, no one showed up.
"For fucks sake, Mawile…" Now aggravated, Gardevoir stood up and headed to the kitchen for a drink. Just some wine to tide her over, not enough to intoxicate her, but just enough for the soothing warmth of the alcohol to ease her aches and pains somewhat.
Halfway through her glass, Gardevoir felt someone shove her to the side, nearly causing her to choke on her wine. She bit her tongue as the familiar sting of steel burned her side. A short, somewhat intimidating female with a large mouth on the back of her head looked up angrily at Gardevoir, a look that only meant good things, surely.
"Getting drunk on the job? I thought you were a professional, not some poor asshole working a nine-to-five and riddled with debt," Mawile growled.
Gardevoir calmly put the glass down and swallowed whatever she had in her mouth, looking down at Mawile with welcoming eyes. "Oh, sorry, I was thirsty and already had this poured before I realized it. Would you like a glass?"
Mawile was already helping herself to whatever was in the fridge. "Don't bother, that kiddie stuff doesn't do anything for me. Besides, I'm more hungry than thirsty. Like some of those idiots you saved from that fire a week back."
"Right, I remember. I still have a few burns from that, so does Er-" Gardevoir cleared her throat, catching herself from saying her "coworker's" name. "
Ehem, Zoroark. You wouldn't be able to tell, though, since his fur grew back so quickly."
"You wouldn't have had those burns if you sent your boy-toy like I said," Mawile said, grabbing just about any form of meat from the fridge. "It's like I'm in charge for a reason or some shit."
Gardevoir kept her mouth shut about having her fridge raided, again. "I wasn't going to send him into a fire like that alone. We almost lost an entire team, and who knows how many civilians."
"Civilians and teams who are both more than capable enough to survive one measly fire," Mawile shook her head, feeding some ham to the jaw on the back of her head.
"
Measly? Forgive me, but that was basically an inferno, Mawile. Even our Water Types had a hard time getting anywhere near it!" Gardevoir stopped herself from slamming her fist on the marble counter as Mawile looked over.
"You enjoy raising your voice at one of the Pokemon who has your life in their hands?" Mawile asked, her voice cold and calm, and entirely threatening. "You see all this?" she gestured at the rest of the apartment. "I can have this entire building toppled in less than an hour, and this room along with it. Keep testing me, kid."
Gardevoir knew better than to contest that. If Mawile was willing to risk several Pokemon burning up in a fire, knocking down a building wouldn't be an issue for her. "I'm sorry, won't happen again."
"Bullshit." Mawile's jaw was aimed at Gardevoir, it's unsettlingly warm breath brushing past her face. "This isn't the first time you've raised your voice, and I know damn sure this won't be the last. The only reason I put up with your bullshit is because the boss knows you're useful."
"I'm aware," Gardevoir nodded, unbothered by the gaping jaw before her. "The few times I've spoken with them, I was flattered, admittedly. I feel like they really are looking out for the city, and everyone in it as well."
Mawile shoveled more food into her jaw, rolling her eyes. "Sounds just like the boss. They have a way of buttering up the underlings, much better than I can. They even bother to exchange
names, as if you're both on the same level or some shit. I just don't get it."
'
Probably because you don't fucking try,' Gardevoir thought. "Don't sell yourself so short, Mawile."
Mawile looked back up at Gardevoir. The both of them sort of just… stared at each other for a moment.
"What? Was it something I said?" Gardevoir asked, reaching for her glass of wine again.
"Normally you're supposed to follow that line up with something encouraging. Can't even get that right, huh?" Mawile shook her head, walking over to the sofa and leaving her mess in the kitchen. "Let's hurry up and get this over with, I have places to be and all that."
'
Maybe try showing up for your own damn meeting earlier then?' Gardevoir kept that thought to herself and followed behind Mawile.
Instead of sitting next to Mawile, or in another chair, Gardevoir sat on the floor on her knees in front of Mawile. The carpet made it comfortable at least, but it'd be better to get this over and done with quickly regardless. Mawile crossed her arms, looking down at Gardevoir.
"Have you heard anything about the Sunset Guild?" Mawile asked, blunt.
"No, they don't exactly tend to reach out to any other guild, even when they're on the mainland. Once they set sail for Sunset Valley, that was it," Gardevoir replied, just as blunt.
"What about records of what they've done before they left?"
"Other than participating in the upcoming festival preparations, they haven't done anything. Well, that Weavile went out for drinks almost every day, but after that he goes straight back to where Sunset is usually stationed."
"And I'm assuming there's still no clue as to who their guildmaster is?" Mawile leaned forward, tapping her foot on the ground.
"Not in the slightest. We know of their elites, and of the teams they leave off the island, but we have nothing on anyone else," Gardevoir shook her head. "Of course, it's difficult to look into such a tight-lipped guild when the crime rate has been steadily rising for the past few years. Even that guildless Lucario is having trouble keeping up with everything lately."
"I didn't come here for excuses. If you don't have an answer, don't speak. If crime is getting out of hand, it's
your job as the head of city security to handle that, anyway," Mawile said, resting her heel on Gardevoir's head. "All I'm hearing is that you're failing at your own damn job."
Resisting the urge to throw Mawile's foot aside, Gardevoir kept her head down and bit her lip. "I am working my men and women to the bone, Mawile. With a city this size, and for how few members of the Azure Guild actually work under me, it's a miracle this city is still standing."
Mawile pressed her heel down, forcing Gardevoir's forehead to hit the ground. "Don't bring that shit up with me, then. If you need people, get people." Mawile got off the sofa, gritting her teeth. "You are seriously lucky you're the bosses favorite. If any other asshole was half as incompetent as you, they'd have been removed from the picture in a second."
Gardevoir didn't say a word, anything that left her mouth would be met with a hefty price right now. Instead she clenched her fists and waited for Mawile to leave already.
"Well I'll be damned, she's learning!" Mawile chuckled. "This would have been a whole lot quicker if you were this quiet all the time."
"The last time I tried staying quiet, you told me to speak up," Gardevoir said, not raising her head.
"I take it back, there's still some backtalk in her after all," Mawile frowned. Her jaw opened wide enough to clamp down on Gardevoir if she wanted. "And putting words in my mouth to boot? You're just begging for trouble, huh?"
The heat of the steel jaw's breath was a good enough signal to Gardevoir to not say anything.
"Good, good. Well, I'm out of here. Good job keeping everything nice and tidy for me, nice to see
one thing I've told you stuck," Mawile said as she walked towards the elevator. "See ya when I see ya."
With a chime, everything went silent. The breeze from outside rustled the leaves of a plant, the light shining inside slower got dimmer and dimmer, and Gardevoir remained in place. Several minutes passed, but she remained there, clenching her fists so tightly that they hurt.
"...Dammit," she finally spoke. "God… dammit…"
There was another chime, followed shortly by gentle paws holding Gardevoir by her shoulders and lifting her up. She could already tell who it was, and the wave of relief that washed over her was sublime from it. Gardevoir lifted her head up, now face to face with the soft, smiling face of Zoroark.
"Mawile was here, huh?" he asked, sitting Gardevoir next to him. "I can't tell which is more stressful, meeting with her or working around the clock."
"It's her, by a landslide," Gardevoir groaned, resting her head in her hands. "At least I can enjoy my job most of the time."
"Tell me about it. Which reminds me, I got you something." Zoroark hopped over the back of the sofa, digging into a bag for something.
Gardevoir let out a chuckle. "Again? That's the fifth 'something' this week, isn't it? And most of the time it's just wine. I was actually getting into one of them when Mawile showed up."
"Really? That sucks. This time, however, I went with something a little more… comfort food-y," Zoroark said, popping his head up from behind the sofa. "Care to make a guess?"
"Well, I don't smell anything, so is it wrapped?"
"
Maybe."
"You don't normally do cliches, but is it chocolate?"
"Nope. Think more savory than sweet."
"Savory? Wait, you didn't…"
Zoroark leaned over the sofa, holding two takeout containers and giving her a smile. "I did! I figured Mawile would get on your case for breathing wrong or something, and since I was passing that burger joint you're so fond of, I might've gotten us a little something for dinner."
"You're serious? Where the hell did you go, that restaurant is on the other side of town! You said you were out on a walk, not a marathon!" Gardevoir said, happily taking one of the boxes. "Holy- it's still hot?!" Now that she was looking at him again, Gardevoir could faintly see Zoroark's fur dampened by sweat.
"I'm not gonna bring you cold burgers and fries, am I? I sure hope I didn't give that impression," Zoroark chuckled.
"Not at all, I just… are you alright? After all we did today, and me having to leave you out to dry for fucking
Mawile…" Gardevoir began, a look of worry and regret about her.
Zoroark shook his head, patting himself on the chest. "I already decided to help you any way that I can, so taking up a few extra tasks at work and hightailing it around town for some good food is nothing!"
"B-But…"
"No buts. I am, entirely, perfectly, and genuinely fine. I promise, or Mawile isn't an asshole with a temper shorter than she is," Zoroark chuckled. "Let's eat. Then, I dunno… we can watch a movie or something?."
Just as the day was taking a turn for the worst, this fox came in and turned it around as best he could, like always. Gardevoir shrugged, not really knowing what she wanted to do herself. "I wouldn't mind eating then calling it a night, honestly. I don't think I have the energy for anything else."
"Hey, I getcha. Today's been rougher than rough on all of us. But enough talk, let's eat!" Zoroark was just about to open his box when Gardevoir stopped him.
"Now hold on. We gotta make this meal as fancy as we can, you know? Which means..?" she tilted her head, a grin on her face.
Zoroark blinked, trying to put the pieces together before it finally clicked. "Wine, right?"
"Oh, hell yeah!" Gardevoir giggled, already heading over to the kitchen. Zoroark hopped to his feet to follow behind her.
It was then that Gardevoir remembered the mess Mawile left. Half-eaten meat and berries, open wrappers; all strewn across the counter and some on the floor. Begrudgingly, Gardevoir went to work cleaning it up, muttering and cussing under her breath all the while. It was much easier with Zoroark here, but that hardly made it any better.
"You'd think such a hardass for tidiness would be, you know, tidy," Zoroark sighed as they finished cleaning up. "We can forget about that over a glass of wine, though. No point on mulling over what already happened, right?"
"I am way ahead of you. I forgot about her the second she walked in the elevator," Gardevoir said, pouring two glasses of wine.
"Really? So you were curled up on the floor for funsies?" Zoroark raised a brow, a skeptical smirk on his snout.
"What I do for funsies is hardly any of
your business, smartass." Gardevoir rolled her eyes, handing a glass to Zoroark. "Just take the alcohol so we can eat."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you wanted me to get tipsy. Any ulterior motives I should worry about?" Zoroark said slyly.
"The only one trying to get something is you, mister. Hope you didn't think you were slick, trying to pamper me every chance you got," Gardevoir replied, poking Zoroark in his chest. "Talk about being a tryhard."
"Hey, I'm just looking out for you. What's a boyfriend supposed to do?
Not that?" Zoroark chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.
Gardevoir flinched, but hoped Zoroark didn't see. "R-Right, uh yeah. Guess you got a point. You are my… b-boy, er…"
A paw rested itself on Gardevoir's shoulder, leading up to a caring smile. "You don't have to say it. I'm sorry for saying it myself. We're coworkers who share the same apartment and don't hate each other. Best friends, basically. I just so happen to be a friend that's a boy, and you're my friend who's a girl."
"Right. Yeah. Sorry." Gardevoir held Zoroark's paw, giving it a grateful squeeze before pulling him back over to the sofa. "Let's eat before the meal you worked so hard to keep warm gets cold."
Zoroark placed his drink on the glass coffee table and dashed off to somewhere, dimming the lights and returning with a large, fluffy blanket. "I know you wanted fancy, but comfort should also be considered. We'll be the most fancy, comfortable pair of besties in the city."
"There you go again, pandering to me," Gardevoir laughed, taking his offer and climbing under the blanket. "If you keep spoiling me I'll turn into a brat, you know."
"The day you become a brat is the day Mawile learns some manners," Zoroark snickered. "By the way, do you really wanna eat in silence, or should I hurry up and put something on?"
Gardevoir rolled her eyes, opening her box and snacking on some of the still-crisp fries. A cozy warmth filled her body, a mix of nostalgia and delight from the simple side dish. "
Oh my god I love these fries."
Zoroark smiled and grabbed the remote. "Guess that's a yes, then."
<><><>
Hardly an hour into random TV program and chilling, both of them finished their food, as well as half of the remaining wine from the bottle. They laid on the sofa together, legs entangled under the blanket, blurred eyes looking at the colors on screen.
"Ya know… I don't remember any episode of thisss show," Gardevoir spoke, managing to keep her words from slurring together. "What'ss it called?"
"I
*hic* have no idee, i-idea. Is re- real… it's purr, um puh, pretty." Zoroark, inversely, was not the best at handling his alcohol. "Jushlike, l-like this fry found, I fround… I find."
"God, you're an adorable little lightweight," Gardevoir giggled. "Aw, I'm all outta fries."
"H-Here, I'll gib you some om mine. Of fime… Dammit,
ofs mine…" Props to him for trying, at least. "S-
*hic*-ince I'm a
door to youuuuu." He held up one large fry, and placed the tip in his lips, twirling it around.
"A-Alright, I'll play your
game," Gardevoir snickered, reaching for the fry. As she was about to grab it, Zoroark pushed her hand away.
"No hanss. Only mouf, m-mao… face," Zoroark said, twirling the fry faster.
"You turn sly when you're drunk," Gardevoir squinted and chuckled. "Fine, sure. I'm hungry enough to try."
Gardevoir pulled herself up, holding herself over Zoroark. She eyed that fry with the careful gaze of a predator, ignoring the fox flaunting it for his own drunken amusement. In one swift motion she dove it, but missed. Zoroark moved the fry at just the right second. Gardevoir lowered her head further, almost enough to grab the fry already, but the moment she went for it the fry jutted to the side.
"Your
*hic* aim's off, hehe," Zoroark taunted. "
Tipsy, tipsy, hehehe."
"Shut it and hold still, cheater," Gardevoir grabbed Zoroark's face in her hands, making the mistake of looking away from the fry and at him for a moment. It was certainly a product of the wine, but his dark pink eyes were exceptional in this light. It felt like they were staring into hers, probably because they were. It was then they both realized that they were closer than they thought, as Gardevoir simply opened her mouth and bit down on the fry.
"Wuh-
*hic* -
No fair!" Zoroark pouted, pulling the rest of the fry in his maw. Unknowingly, he pulled Gardevoir down with it, not noticing until after the tip of his snout booped her bangs. Fortunately, the fry broke before they got
too close. "Uh, sorry."
"For what?" Gardevoir asked, still holding onto his face. "I still got most of the fry, so I won."
"R-Right, yeah, uh…" Zoroark found it hard to look straight up at her, but Gardevoir didn't really let him look anywhere else.
"Is something wrong?" Gardevoir asked, which only made things worse for Zoroark.
"Uh, n-no, um, it's just, uh…" he stuttered. "A-Are you feeling alright?"
Gardevoir smiled warmly. "I'll admit, I'm a bit lightheaded. Getting tipsy when I was already so worn out probably wasn't the best idea. I don't think I'm really thinking straight either."
"Wait, you're really not ok? Should I get you some water or something?" Zoroark seemed to sober up quickly, his worry quickly overpowering the alcohol.
"No, I just… want you to hold me," Gardevoir said softly.
"...You definitely need water, I'll be ri-" Zoroark attempted to get up, but Gardevoir held him down by his shoulders. "R-Reme?"
Gardevoir smiled again, the rosiness on her face getting a bit brighter. "Could you... say my name again?"
Zoroark looked up at her, knowing that she wasn't going to stay awake much longer. "Reme, I should get you to bed."
"Mmm, maybe. But you haven't held me yet," Reme said, struggling to keep her head up. "I thought you'd like that."
"I would, but not when you're like this. You said so yourself, you aren't thinking right. You need to get to bed," Zoroark said firmly.
"Please, Eris. Just this once?" Reme asked.
"No. I mean it. You're going to bed," Eris shook his head, sitting himself up. Reme still held on, her expression growing sadder as he sat up. She didn't bother trying again, allowing Eris to scoop her up in his arms and carry her over to her room.
Unlike the rest of the apartment, it was mostly red and mint colored. There was a wooden desk with a wheely chair, a ceiling fan, a bookshelf filled with perfectly cared for books, a large window that overlooked the city, and a large mint and red bed in the middle of the room. Eris set Reme down gently, covering her with the blanket and making his way to leave, when Reme grabbed his paw.
"Eris… I'm sorry," Reme said, weakly.
"You haven't done a single thing wrong. No need to apologize. We're both tired, and maybe had a bit too much to drink. Other than trying to get me to hug you, you didn't do anything," Eris reassured her, gently squeezing her hand. "Nice to see you sobered up a bit before bed."
"C-Can I get a hug now?" Reme smiled innocently, but wasn't expecting a yes.
Eris looked in her violet eyes, then let a sigh. "Alright, one hug, then I leave you to go to bed, alright?"
Overjoyed, Reme pulled Eris in close and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug, rubbing his paw along Reme's back. He heard the faintest of sobs coming from her, and his worry again got the better of him.
"What did Mawile do this time?" Eris asked, not letting go of Reme.
"She threatened to take this entire building down because I raised my voice. Then she used my head as a footrest…" Reme admitted. Eris loosened his hold a bit, placing his head on top of Reme's.
"For fucks sake, really? I know you can't really do anything about her, but I can at least-" Eris began, stopping when Reme squeezed him tightly.
"Eris, if she gets pissy when I raise my voice, what do you think will happen to you if you try something? I don't know if you noticed, but she's above the both of us, by a longshot," Reme said, her voice shaky.
"But I can't sit here letting her treat you like this, either. If I can teach that imp a lesson I'll do it, no matter what," Eris replied. "Especially if she's getting under your skin this much. I'll welcome a fight with her with open arms if I have to."
"Don't say that, Eris. You're exceptional, hell, beyond that even, but Mawile isn't normal. And the last thing I'd want would be for you to get on the boss's bad side by attacking Mawile." Reme held Eris closer. "Promise me you won't do anything to piss her off, ok?"
Eris didn't respond right away. He took a deep breath, then nodded. "If you say so. But the second Mawile tries that shit again, I won't be able to keep that promise. I just can't let that happen again with Mawile getting off scotch free."
The two let go of each other, but just as Eris turned to leave, Reme stopped him again. "One more thing, Eris."
"What is it?"
"Would you, um… mind, uh…" Reme stammered, not sure whether she should say what she wanted to or not. Instead of keeping him for any longer, Reme decided against it. "C-Could you turn on the fan for me?"
"Sure. Good night, Reme," Eris said, turning on the fan and leaving.
"Bye…" Reme waved, laying on her back. She stared at the fan as it spun faster and faster, her hair swaying gently in the circulating air. Having everything be large was nice, but she never liked sleeping in a large, empty bed by herself. As her tiredness started to take over, Reme looked out the window, at the night sky, still bright thanks to all the lights in the city. She missed seeing the stars and the dark colors of the night, but the glow of city lights wasn't all that bad.
"Somehow, I think today could have been much, much worse," Reme told herself as she drifted off to sleep. "Gotta stay positive. Positive…"
