Author's Notes & Part One
canisaries
you should've known the price of evil
NOTE (August 19th 2022): Made minor edits to Part 1. Nothing plot-relevant, just some dialogue and prose.
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Yes! I managed to get this posted in time after all. It took a sprint of over 1.3k words on the last day, but it was worth it.
So, this is that "vampire story" I've been talking about on Discord. It's another PMD-but-no-dungeons story, this time about a shy and insecure noivern... and vampires. Wanna know more? Read it.
I would rate this story roughly as teen as it does have vampires and therefore some guaranteed blood, but the content and tone are still well away from mature territory. Hunter, Haunted this is not. It does deal with some misogyny, though, mainly internalized. Language is mild.
That's about everything I have to say. I have no preferences for critique - any feedback given is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
Ding!
“Coming!” Nella shouted, rushing out of the kitchen, coins clinking inside the pouch on her belt. A sour-faced gumshoos sat behind the counter, untrimmed claws tapping impatiently on its wooden surface. Nella sighed under her breath, then forced a smile.
“Welcome to Martha’s,” the noivern said. “How may I serve you?”
“I wanna see some cod and potatoes and fast,” the gumshoos growled. “I’m starvin’.”
Nella nodded. “Right away, sir. Feel free to show yourself to a table if you’d like.”
“I just sat down. I ain’t gettin’ back up.”
Another stealthy sigh. “That’s alright. We’ll start working on your order right away.”
“And a beer!” the gumshoos shouted after her as she entered the heat and steam of the kitchen. “Hey, did ya hear me?”’
“Yes, sir!” Nella shouted back. She turned to the kitchen staff - Swampert Harvey and Ursaring Sophie on this current shift - and relayed the order of a plate of cod and potatoes.
“We ran out of cod,” responded Harvey, scooping up a pair of fried eggs off his pan and to a plate which another waitress, Golduck Daisy, took in her hands and rushed off to serve. “They’ll have to ask for something else.”
Nella blinked. How wonderful.
She forced a smile onto her face once again and returned to the counter.
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of cod. Would you like something else instead?”
"Out of cod?" the gumshoos huffed - but shook his head and skimmed the menu again. "Berry mash, then."
"Alright, we'll get right on it!" said Nella and slipped back into the kitchen. "We need one bowl of berry mash!" she yelled.
"Can't make it," shouted back Sophie, inserting a meat pie into the oven. "Out of tamato."
Nella froze. "Are you serious?"
"'Fraid I am."
She clacked her claws together. "Can't we make it without tamato? It's just a little part of it, right?"
"Sorry, but you know how Martha feels about going off-recipe. Just ask them to get something else."
Nella's shoulders slumped, but Martha was Martha. While she would yell even when you stuck to her orders, it would stay at that - try things your own way, though, and your job was on the line.
Nella took a deep breath, plastered that smile back on her face and finally returned to the counter.
"I'm sorry," she said, already seeing the annoyance flare up in the gumshoos' eyes, "but berry mash is also unavailable at the moment. Would you like so-"
A bang of the gumshoos' paw on the counter quieted her.
"Son of a muk!" the gumshoos spat. "Do you serve food here or not?"
On reflex, Nella shielded her body with her wings. Pressure built up in her ears.
No! She closed her eyes and flexed her toes, focusing on the wooden floor beneath her feet. Slowly, the pressure weakened.
"Hey! Are you listenin'?"
It strengthened again. It threatened to burst. She took deep breaths, focused, focused. She pictured a familiar blue face, black beady eyes, white beak and cheeks, and her mother saying those words in her sing-song voice:
"A good girl is a quiet girl."
She opened her eyes and the world was clear again.
She brought that smile back on her face.
"We truly apologize for the unavailability of those menu options," she said, voice bright, "but I'm sure we have other options available you would like. Please try choosing another item."
The gumshoos' eyes had widened at her sudden change in behavior, but they soon drooped back to half-closed. "Feh." He waved his arm lazily and turned around. "I'll find someplace else."
Nella watched as the gumshoos slouched out, his long tail dragging behind him, surely saving whoever was on cleaning duty that day some time. Only once the door had slammed shut in his wake could Nella let her forced vigor melt away.
Needing some time to feel presentable again, she slipped back in the kitchen, leaned against a wall and sighed.
It's alright. I'll be here for just a minute, then get back. There was no one in line. Surely they can't need me again so soon --
Ding!
She wanted to scream. But she didn't. A good girl was a quiet girl.
She took just a little more time to herself - surely the customer would prefer a little delay over being served by an anxious mess - before walking back out. She wished this customer wouldn't be as rude, but accepted the possibility. She had no other option, anyway.
She raised her gaze to meet the ringer of the bell, preparing to stick that smile on her lips once again - but as her eyes met the mon behind the counter, she could not suppress her surprise.
A white, gold-striped incineroar dressed in brown leather stood behind the counter, posture proud but calm and face neutral. Nella's gaze flicked around his body, his blue eyes, his muscular arms, his grayish-brown chest peeking out from his open coat, his cheek tufts that were long enough to drape over his broad shoulders… with the exception of his colors, it was like Incineroar Arthur had leapt right off the pages of Lionhearted, ready to woo the plain little seamstress with his fierce strength but noble heart...
So men like him really did exist.
"Hello?"
Nella flinched, remembering where she was and what she was supposed to do. "Uh, welcome to Wart- I mean --" Blood rushed to her face, making her nose an even deeper red than usual. She spent half a second to pull herself together, then tried again. "Welcome to Martha's. Would you like… food…?"
"...Yes," the stranger answered, thankfully without any ire - or so Nella hoped, at least. He looked down at the menu on the counter. "I would like the cod and potatoes."
Nella's nose must have been glowing right then.
“We’re sorry,” she said, taking care to pronounce each word right, “but that option is currently unavailable.” She paused. “The berry mash is also unavailable. Please order some item other than those two.”
“Oh.” The incineroar eyed the menu again. “Is the beef stew available?”
She nodded, and hoped dearly that she would be right.
”That, then,” he said, “and… you wouldn’t happen to have any wine, would you?”
At least that one wasn’t on the menu to begin with. It made talking a bit easier, though her face was still burning. “Sorry, but we do not serve wine. We do serve beer, if you’d like that?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just have some milk, then.”
“Milk and beef stew,” Nella repeated to etch them in her mind. “Coming right up. Feel free to choose a table in the meantime.”
She curtsied - why did she curtsy? They didn’t do that there! But the stranger, he seemed so noble…
She escaped into the kitchen before she could do anything weirder. She took a deep breath, then shouted to the staff. “Beef stew for one!”
“Will do!” shouted back Harvey.
She sighed in relief. Finally something worked out.
She turned around to return, pausing briefly to let the butterfree in her belly settle, then stepped back out into the scene. But as soon as she spotted the stranger again, sitting by a nearby table, their eyes met and all those little bugs leapt aflutter again.
But she still had a job to do. She grabbed a glass from beneath the counter and fetched a jug of milk from the icebox. She brought both to the stranger and poured the glass full - with great caution, as she knew she'd never forgive herself if she spilled the milk right there and then.
"There you go," she said and forced herself to give the polite amount of eye contact. The stranger thanked her with a smile - he smiled at me! - which Nella acknowledged with a nod before returning to the counter. She placed the jug back in the icebox and then… and then… oh dear, she didn't have anything to do, did she? She'd have to simply stand there, in full view of that handsome stranger, and stay presentable the whole time.
She glanced at the stranger. He wasn't drinking and showed no intentions to do so. He must have been the type to wait for his food before starting his drink. Should she have asked if he wanted the milk right away before giving it to him? Now it would sit there getting warmer for no reason. Oh, stupid, stupid.
Though maybe he'd change his mind. Maybe he'd start drinking and her mistake wouldn't have mattered so much. She stood still in wait until she realized how rude of her it was to stare. Her gaze hopped from that table to another, then another, another and another. She would check for any customers that may have finished - a reasonable activity for a waitress - but the answer was always no. As a result, more and more often her eyes lingered on the stranger, examining his unique looks and apparel.
Why did he wear all that leather? Was he cold? But if he was cold, why didn't his jacket have any sleeves? Was he hiding something he was ashamed of, like furless patches or scars? She did notice a nick in his ear. Perhaps he fought often. But he was clearly no ruffian, no, he must have been a professional. But he had no uniform - at least it didn't look like it. Was he someone for hire? Was he a bounty hunter? A mercenary? An assassin? But weren't assassins not supposed to draw attention to themselves? Or was he such a wanted mon that he felt it necessary to walk in protective wear out on the town? But then, again, why no sleeves? It made no sense --
Her thoughts shattered as the stranger returned her look. She'd been caught staring. She'd messed up yet again. Oh, why couldn't she do anything right?
"Nella!"
She jumped in her skin, then turned around. Harvey's wide head peeked out of the kitchen doorway.
"Sorry," Harvey grumbled, "but you didn't react when I tapped the wall."
Nella sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. What is it?"
"Beef stew's ready. Been ready for a while."
Nella's face froze while her stomach plummeted through the floor.
"Whoa, you alright?"
Could Daisy serve this one? Nella wanted to say, but knew Harvey wouldn't have asked her if the golduck was available. Her shift had probably ended. Closing time wasn't that far off.
Instead, Nella forcibly thawed her face. "Oh, yes, sorry. There's nothing to worry about. Let's go."
She followed Harvey to the kitchen and soon spotted the bowl of stew on a tray ready to go. It was no longer steaming, but a quick wave of her wing above it confirmed it was still sufficiently warm to serve. She nodded her thanks to Harvey, picked up the tray and once again headed out into the cold.
Just get over there, give him the bowl and then get out, she told herself. But don't forget to be polite. Oh, just... do it the way you always do and you'll be as good as invisible.
Her stiff steps finally took her to the stranger's table. As he shifted his attention from studying the flowing patterns in the wood of the table to her, Nella remembered to smile. Always smile when looked at.
"Here's your beef stew," she said, setting the bowl on the table. "Enjoy your meal!"
She turned around to leave, her heartbeat slowly turning triumphant - she did it, it was over --
"Excuse me."
And the rhythm of her heart fell into chaos again.
She turned to the stranger, unable to look him in the eye and settling for his forehead. "Y-yes…?"
"Is it alright for me to pray here?"
"Pray?" It took a second to process the word. Why would he pray? Did he mean saying grace? She'd seen other customers do it and Martha had never said anything about it, so it must have been fine by her. "Sure?" she said, questioning tone unintentional, but a second try wasn't worth it.
"To be clear, it will not be in the name of Mew or Arceus or any other deity you've likely heard of," the incineroar said, pulling a necklace out from under his coat. It had a curious pendant - a round, blue, sparkling stone encircled by a brass ring with four spikes pointing up, down, left and right. "I am a follower of Solgaleo."
The stranger was right - Nella had never heard of a deity like that, not that her family was all that spiritual. She nearly said yes without much further thought, but then realized Martha likely wouldn't want any demon-worship taking place in her establishment.
"Well, um, that depends," started Nella. "What do you intend to pray for?"
"Not for anything, really," the stranger said. "Only to thank Him for the day."
Nella clacked her claws together in thought. "I… suppose that's alright. As long as you're not bothering anybody."
The stranger nodded. "You have my word. Thank you."
"Sure." Nella nodded back, sensing her cue to exit. "Enjoy your… meal."
She turned and walked away quickly before he could see her once again reddening face.
Having reached the relative safety of the counter, Nella dared to look back. The incineroar had his hands together and eyes closed, seemingly speaking something too quietly to hear over the other customers. A wave of relief washed over her, even if she never really expected the stranger to start trouble.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the opening of the door. A group of three new customers arrived. Nella brought that polite smile back onto her face again - though this time, it seemed a lot easier.
"Thank you, have a good night!"
She waved the tangrowth, raichu and weavile goodbye with one wing with a pouch of coins in the other. The bar was now empty of customers save for one - the white-furred incineroar. On her way back to the counter, she stole yet another glimpse at the stranger to confirm it, and indeed, he was still there, at that moment watching the three mon leave.
Closing time was soon at hand, though. She'd have to ask him to leave. It didn't seem like he had any stew or milk left, so why was he still --
Nella blanched. He needed her to collect his payment for the meal!
As much as she wanted to just run away and hide, she knew that'd eliminate whatever was left of her chance to keep her job if Martha were to find out. And then Mother would find out --
No, there was no time for that! A customer, likely a furious one, was waiting!
She ran - no, ladies do not run, she skipped - to the stranger, and as soon as he turned to her, she began her plea for forgiveness.
"I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Incineroar! I-I neglected to serve you. I'll collect your payment right away. O-or actually, it's on the house! I'll cover the expenses. Please don't think less of our establishment - the fault was mine alone. Is there anything else I can --"
She quieted as the stranger raised his palm. He doesn't want to hear my excuses. Oh, heavens, I'm finished --
"It's quite alright."
The absence of bile in his voice left Nella frozen. She hadn't thought of how to respond to a reaction like this.
"I was in no hurry to leave," the stranger continued, "so I wanted to stay a while longer, simply watching mon come and go. In my profession, respite is precious, and I welcome a moment of peace whenever one comes."
Nella brought her claws together, gaze dropping to the floor. "You don't have to downplay my mistake," she quietly said. "You can be upset."
"There's nothing to be upset about," he assured. "If I really wanted to leave, I simply would have called you."
Nella dared to look at the stranger’s face again. There was nothing but honesty in those sky-blue eyes. She felt like a fool, making such a scene, and blood quickly rushed to her face again.
“Th-thank you,” she could manage.
The stranger sat up straighter. “You know, I’ve never seen a noivern with wings pink on the underside.”
“Really?” Nella spread her left wing to display the color. “Well, I guess I've only ever met a few other noivern in my life so I suppose I don’t really know how rare or common it is...”
“I’ve seen quite a few,” said the stranger. “They’ve had green, blue, teal, gray, white, even red under their wings - but never pink.” He smiled. “It’s a very nice color.”
Nella blinked, unsure how to take the compliment - it had been very long since the last time she received one, after all. “Um, thank you,” she peeped. “I… I like your colors, too.” She also liked everything else, but knew saying that would come off overbearing.
The stranger's smile widened, making his whiskers rise by just a bit. His face looked so soft. Nella's heart quickened. With each moment, he resembled Lionhearted's Arthur even more - but he was real.
"I'd be surprised if you'd seen other white incineroar," the stranger said. "We are very few, and live quite far from here."
“You come from far away?” asked Nella, immediately reconsidering her choice. With a question like that, she was really taking part in the conversation. Now she was responsible for being worth his time…
“Albaton,” he said. “Have you heard of it?”
Nella shook her head. “Not that I know much of anything...” she mumbled.
“No, that is the common response.”
He then slid back his chair and got up. She didn’t insult him, did she?
“You know, I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself yet,” he said and offered a hand. “Incineroar Leander.”
“N-Noivern Nella,” Nella responded and gingerly inserted her claws into his hand. Her fingers were much smaller, much more delicate - and much colder, she realized when the incineroar squeezed her fingers, spreading warmth all the way up to her elbow. His grip was firm but softened by his fur and paw pads. His claws weren’t sharp like those of four-legged felines - likely due to an inability to retract them, she deduced as she pondered the structure of his hand.
Then, the embrace broke, and the warmth disappeared. Nella drew her claws back to her chest. They were nowhere near as warm.
Leander lowered his hand. “So, do you have plans for this evening?”
Nella’s ears twitched.
He asked for plans. That meant he liked her. Wanted to spend more time with her. Get to know her better. See her more times afterwards. Enter a relationship. Possibly, hopefully, marry.
No, she was getting ahead of herself. Especially since she couldn’t see him today anyway.
“Actually, I have to go to bed early tonight,” she said. “To have the energy for tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see. What about tomorrow night, then?”
“Well...”
Technically, she had made no plans, but she already knew tomorrow would be just as tiring.
“I feel like it would be the same,” she said, defeated.
“Ah. Shame.”
She sighed. “Yes, it is...”
A silence hung in the air as Nella pondered whether there was any day that could work. There was Sunday with no work, but that was four days away - far too long to make a gentleman wait. Though if he suggested that, it would mean he was willing...
“Right,” said Leander, snapping Nella out of her thoughts. “I should pay.”
Pay. The incineroar dug a pouch out of his pocket. He was paying. This conversation was ending. He did not want to wait beyond tomorrow. Perhaps he wouldn’t even be in town anymore - it was clear he was a traveller.
“How much was it?”
”Um, one silver, four bronze.”
He picked out the necessary coins and handed them to Nella with a smile. “Here you are.”
She took just a second to admire that smile, that warmth, good intent, pressing it into her memory as a memento of what could have been. Leander, the white incineroar with golden stripes.
She took the coins and slid them to her pouch. “Thank you, have a good...night.”
The automatic phrase had ended the conversation for her.
Leander nodded. “Have a good night as well, Nella. And sleep well.”
With that, he turned around and headed for the door. The seconds it took for him to reach it felt more like minutes. Then, he opened the door, gave a final smile, stepped through and closed the door behind him.
She stood in silence.
Well, there was nothing more to do there. She should store away the coins.
She made her way to the counter, her claws producing hollow clicks against the wooden floor. She took out her key and opened the coin drawer. One by one, she took a coin from her pouch and dropped it to its container. Copper in the copper container, bronze in the bronze container, silver in the silver container, gold in the... just kidding. No one brought gold here.
She sighed.
See, it doesn’t pay to be a working woman on her own, said a familiar voice inside her head. That’s just how the world works.
Nella grasped her forehead with a wing. Of course. Of course Mother would come back now.
She tried to stay calm and made her counterpoint. You agreed that the worklife would give me experience.
I did, darling, a year ago. But frankly, darling, I doubt these little odd jobs have anything to teach you anymore. And you’re not getting any younger.
I’m only nineteen, Mother.
Only, you say… Nelly, darling, I've told you this before. I have seen noivern and I tell you they do not age with grace. That fur’s only going to get bristlier. Gray hairs start popping up here and there. And your teeth - they’ll keep growing. But if you charm a man now, he’ll be blinded for life - in his eyes, you’ll be young forever.
For a split second, Nella saw herself beside Leander.
Oh! Mother gasped. Who is this gentleman?
Nella squeezed her eyes shut. No one. He’s not real... she tried, but her memories of their meeting replayed on their own.
You let him go? the altaria shouted, puffing her plumage and throwing her wings in the air - Nella had to admit it was quite unladylike for someone so preoccupied with elegance. What were you thinking?
Mother, I have to think about my job! If I come in tired again and start messing up orders, e-even though I’m really trying --
You know I would give you anything you needed if it helped you find a man!
Nella paused. She was right. Mother would gladly support her… but what if she couldn’t make it work with him?
At least you’d have learned something - something that’d help you a lot more than anything you could possibly learn from running errands in that lousy pub!
She might actually say that.
And, darling - if a man really did show his interest, with you on the job nonetheless, you’ve cleared the hardest hurdle. You have a chance. After all this waiting, you have a chance. And you’re just going to throw it away?
Nella opened her eyes. She wouldn’t.
She shut the drawer and locked it, shoved the remaining coins in her pouch and ran for the door. Yes, ran - she had to make it in time. She could even fly - well, actually, she couldn’t. This section of town was a no-fly zone for mon of her weight class, and she wouldn’t be able to meet him if she was arrested. She had to settle for running.
She burst out the door with enough force to make her wings ache. She looked right and she looked left - no sight of the stranger, but she’d search all night if she had to.
Where was the nearest inn? He may be on the way there if he’s a traveller. Trevor’s was closest, right? It was eastward - so she should go right at first. She dashed that way until the junction, where she took another right --
There, in the distance, a tall figure clad in brown leather, white fur, it's him, it's him!
But who was that standing beside him?
Tall, slim, green and white… a gardevoir.
She laughed.
He laughed.
Nella's heart sank.
The gardevoir's dress danced in the breeze. Her voice was bright, but not shrill, and her speech had the perfect tempo and enunciation. Whenever she laughed, she raised her hand to her mouth, and at all moments her posture stayed flawless.
No wonder he was captivated. She was perfect.
And Nella could never compete.
Scrape, scrape, scrape. The broom's bristly hairs brushing against the floorboards was the only thing keeping the restaurant from dead silence.
The others had left long ago - even Amal, who was tasked with depositing the day's profits in Martha's stead, and she usually stayed the longest. But she was not the one who dreaded going back to her empty quarters. With all those books of silly stories of love and passion that would never come true.
Nella sighed, probably for the seventeenth time by now, and the cycle of thoughts began anew.
She should have said she was free. She should have realized sooner how valuable the opportunity was. She shouldn't have let him go. Even if it made her look desperate. She was desperate! She would've settled for much less, and yet she had the chance to catch the perfect man - or the best man she could ever get.
Could she, even? Maybe it was all a trick to begin with? Maybe that gardevoir was in on it? But what was there to gain from courting some dowdy little waitress? She wasn't rich - she barely got by. She wasn't important - her family wasn't that influential. And she already knew she wasn’t pretty.
That incineroar must have had something wrong with him. He did belong to some weird religion. Maybe he was searching for a woman to sacrifice to his god in some dark, twisted ritual…
...no, she'd been reading too many books.
A clanking came from the door. Someone was trying to open the lock.
Nella's fur stood on end, bristlier than ever, and she grasped the broom tighter. "Wh-who's there?"
The door opened, and a familiar nidoqueen stepped through.
"Calm down, it's just me," said Martha, closing the door.
Nella sighed in relief. "What brings you here?” she then asked. “I thought you were going to be elsewhere until Thursday.”
“I thought so, too,” said Martha, marching right past Nella into the kitchen, “until I heard Greedent Gustav was coming.”
Nella followed her. “Um… who is that?”
“The mon who will make or break my career,” Martha said, opening cupboard after cupboard, checking all pouches and containers inside. “If he decides to drop by during his stay in Lepach, that is.”
“So… he’s a food critic?”
“He’s the food critic. In this backwater corner of the kingdom, anyway...” She dashed past Nella to another set of cupboards, blind to the noivern-tail that was in her way and would have tripped her had Nella not withdrawn it at the last moment. “I need to make sure we’re not running low on anything that can’t be bought at the market tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, I see."
Gradually, Martha's motions became more patient. "Okay, so far so good," she mumbled. "Everything seems to be in order…"
But on the next cupboard, she froze.
She turned to Nella with one pouch in her hand. "Is this all the bitterleaf we have?"
"Umm… I-I don't know, I don't work in the kitchen?"
Martha ignored her and checked the remaining cupboards. She then reached into one drawer, took out a slip of blank paper and began writing.
Nella began wondering if it'd be better for her to leave, but right then --
"Noivern!" the nidoqueen barked.
Nella yipped. "Y-yes?"
Martha folded the slip. "You've been to Zem's before, right?"
"Zem's?"
"Drowzee Zem's!" Martha snapped, and Nella cowered.
"I-I remember a drowzee… do you mean the potionmaker?"
"Of course I mean the potionmaker," Martha grumbled. "But you remember the way to his house?"
"Yes, I do." She thought so, at least.
Martha handed her the slip and the empty pouch of bitterleaf. "Go to him and ask for bitterleaf. The slip will tell him that I'll pay later, and handsomely."
Nella paused. "What, now?"
"Yes!"
Absolutely not, Nella thought at first. Don't be selfish, she thought right after. You can't let your employer take advantage of you, she thought after that. She wrestled with those thoughts until she finally made her choice - standing her ground. She opened her mouth --
"You'll get tomorrow off, obviously," said Martha. "I need to meet Mr. Greedent in person, anyway, and the best way to do that is to do some waitressing myself. I'll handle your shift."
Oh. That made it a lot more reasonable. And she supposed she still didn't want to go home, anyway…
The nidoqueen smacked her tail against the floor, impatient. "Well? Are you going or what?"
"I-I'm going," Nella stuttered. Oh boy, I suppose I'm going.
"Good."
Nella took the slip and the pouch and stored them in her bag. Martha quickly brought her a lantern and… another pouch? This one was much smaller and red in coloration.
"Spores of morelull," said Martha as she handed it over. "Throw 'em towards anyone or anything giving you trouble. A handful ought to put even a raging tauros to bed. Don't breathe 'em in yourself. That should go without saying," she muttered.
“Um… thanks?”
“Don’t mention it. Now go, go, go! The sooner you come back, the sooner we can both get some sleep.” The nidoqueen rushed Nella back to the dining space and to the front door.
“But wh-what if the drowzee isn’t home?” asked Nella while the nidoqueen lit her lantern. “Or he doesn’t have bitterleaf? Or he has some, but doesn’t want to share?”
“Well, then I guess we’re all screwed.”
Lantern lit, Martha opened the door and gave Nella one last shove. “Good luck,” she said, and with that, she slammed the door.
Oh dear. Oh dear. Was this the right path? Should she have taken a right instead?
The wind strengthened, howling like a houndoom as it drained more warmth from her body. The lantern rattled, and the flame inside flickered. Don’t go out, don’t go out…
It did not. The wind calmed again. Nella sighed.
Though it wasn’t as if much relief could be felt in a scene like this. Layers and layers of cloud filled the sky, eliminating any chance of seeing the full moon Nella knew had to be there and shrouding the earth and all that stood upon it in darkness.
At least she had good hearing. All noivern did. Many times her mother had reprimanded her for eavesdropping when she brought up something that wasn’t intended for her to hear, but she’d never really tried to hear it - well, most of the time.
Even now, her ears would catch all sorts of sounds she didn’t need to hear. Rustling of leaves or calls of nightbirds were completely natural for a forest-flanking path like this, but it didn’t stop her from flinching each time. A constant weak pressure remained behind her ears, but she knew she could contain it.
At least those sounds were still relatively distant. Even if her first reaction was fear, whatever her imagination could cook up was still far enough away to fly away from in an emergency. How well she could fly in this wind was another question, but just knowing she wasn’t explicitly trapped calmed her mind just a little.
Though she probably shouldn’t fly away at the first sign of danger. She had the morelull spores. If she didn’t even try to rely on them, Martha would surely chew her out on abandoning her quest so easily. Not to mention that she could have --
No, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t bellow.
In any case, it was unlikely for her to cross paths with anything all that dangerous. Houndoom and ursaring were the largest predators around Lepach, and both were quickly hunted down or chased away after sightings. They had become more wary of civilized mon, too, and seemed to know that bothering one would mean a whole lot more bothering them.
Far away, something let out a peep. Nella froze until she’d fully processed the sound.
Just a zubat, she thought. Probably out hunting. It does seem like the best time for it...
She continued to walk, and the zubat continued to peep. She thought about the little thing catching mosquitoes in the air and nibbling on them with its tiny teeth. She smiled. She couldn’t understand why Mother was afraid of them. They were harmless! Mother said they fluttered so quickly, that they were unpredictable, but that seemed no different than a bird of the same size to Nella. And they only ate insects. They would flee from anything larger than them, unless they were guarding a nest, defending their family, and who couldn’t relate to that…
She noticed the peeping was getting closer. Sure, why not. Perhaps she could catch a glimpse of it in action - though it felt more likely that it’d leave the moment it really noticed her.
It kept approaching, and she felt more at ease. Even if it would only last for a while, she wouldn’t be travelling alone. She began glancing over her shoulder for a chance to spot the zubat against the slightly-brighter sky.
There it was! It was coming her way. Strange. It must have been a particularly daring zubat to fly this close. Or maybe it hadn’t noticed her at all. That theory felt more likely by the second as the zubat glided closer, headed straight towards --
Nella ducked, and the zubat zoomed past right above her head.
“Hey, watch out!” said Nella. “I’m trying to wal-”
The zubat turned in midair and dove at her with a screech. In the lantern’s faint light, she saw its fangs - double their usual size, curved, and sharp as needles.
There was something terribly wrong with this zubat.
She dodged the attack and opened her wings wide, then flapped them at the crazed mon. “G-go away!”
The zubat continued its assault, unfazed by the display. Nella shielded herself with a wing, though regretted it soon after as she felt a stinging pain in the membrane. The zubat had sank in its teeth.
Despite the pain it brought, she shook the zubat off. Pressure thumped in her ears, but no, no, she would not bellow, she had another weapon, she would use that. She scrambled for the red pouch in her bag, slipped in her hand and grabbed as much as she could, then folded her wing and threw the powder at the zubat.
The spores spread out like flour, but glowed in rainbow colors. The cloud enveloped the zubat, but its frantic flapping blew some of it back - and before Nella had even blinked, she’d breathed the spores in.
She ran away from the cloud, but the effects were too quick. The lantern slipped from her hand as her limbs became weak, and soon her body met the ground. As her conscious thoughts dispersed, one instinct finally gained control - but it was too late. The pressure in her ears had already deflated.
Beside her, she heard a thump. After that, nothing followed.
---
Yes! I managed to get this posted in time after all. It took a sprint of over 1.3k words on the last day, but it was worth it.
So, this is that "vampire story" I've been talking about on Discord. It's another PMD-but-no-dungeons story, this time about a shy and insecure noivern... and vampires. Wanna know more? Read it.
I would rate this story roughly as teen as it does have vampires and therefore some guaranteed blood, but the content and tone are still well away from mature territory. Hunter, Haunted this is not. It does deal with some misogyny, though, mainly internalized. Language is mild.
That's about everything I have to say. I have no preferences for critique - any feedback given is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
Noivern Nella (by me, 2022)
Noivern Nella (by me, 2021)
Incineroar Leander (by me)
Mismagius Teru (by me)
Noivern Nella (by me, 2021)
Incineroar Leander (by me)
Mismagius Teru (by me)
---
BATTY!
Synopsis:
Nella is a shy, lonely noivern who works a waitress job by day and escapes to her romance novels by night - but everything changes after a fateful encounter with a wild zubat infected with vampirism plunges her into the hidden world of vampiric pokémon.
Genre:
Drama, Horror, Romance
Started:
31 Oct 2021
Status:
Completed (4th Sep 2023)
Length:
49 000 words
(measured 4th Sep 2023)
---
Part One
---
BATTY!
Synopsis:
Nella is a shy, lonely noivern who works a waitress job by day and escapes to her romance novels by night - but everything changes after a fateful encounter with a wild zubat infected with vampirism plunges her into the hidden world of vampiric pokémon.
Genre:
Drama, Horror, Romance
Started:
31 Oct 2021
Status:
Completed (4th Sep 2023)
Length:
49 000 words
(measured 4th Sep 2023)
---
Part One
---
Ding!
“Coming!” Nella shouted, rushing out of the kitchen, coins clinking inside the pouch on her belt. A sour-faced gumshoos sat behind the counter, untrimmed claws tapping impatiently on its wooden surface. Nella sighed under her breath, then forced a smile.
“Welcome to Martha’s,” the noivern said. “How may I serve you?”
“I wanna see some cod and potatoes and fast,” the gumshoos growled. “I’m starvin’.”
Nella nodded. “Right away, sir. Feel free to show yourself to a table if you’d like.”
“I just sat down. I ain’t gettin’ back up.”
Another stealthy sigh. “That’s alright. We’ll start working on your order right away.”
“And a beer!” the gumshoos shouted after her as she entered the heat and steam of the kitchen. “Hey, did ya hear me?”’
“Yes, sir!” Nella shouted back. She turned to the kitchen staff - Swampert Harvey and Ursaring Sophie on this current shift - and relayed the order of a plate of cod and potatoes.
“We ran out of cod,” responded Harvey, scooping up a pair of fried eggs off his pan and to a plate which another waitress, Golduck Daisy, took in her hands and rushed off to serve. “They’ll have to ask for something else.”
Nella blinked. How wonderful.
She forced a smile onto her face once again and returned to the counter.
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of cod. Would you like something else instead?”
"Out of cod?" the gumshoos huffed - but shook his head and skimmed the menu again. "Berry mash, then."
"Alright, we'll get right on it!" said Nella and slipped back into the kitchen. "We need one bowl of berry mash!" she yelled.
"Can't make it," shouted back Sophie, inserting a meat pie into the oven. "Out of tamato."
Nella froze. "Are you serious?"
"'Fraid I am."
She clacked her claws together. "Can't we make it without tamato? It's just a little part of it, right?"
"Sorry, but you know how Martha feels about going off-recipe. Just ask them to get something else."
Nella's shoulders slumped, but Martha was Martha. While she would yell even when you stuck to her orders, it would stay at that - try things your own way, though, and your job was on the line.
Nella took a deep breath, plastered that smile back on her face and finally returned to the counter.
"I'm sorry," she said, already seeing the annoyance flare up in the gumshoos' eyes, "but berry mash is also unavailable at the moment. Would you like so-"
A bang of the gumshoos' paw on the counter quieted her.
"Son of a muk!" the gumshoos spat. "Do you serve food here or not?"
On reflex, Nella shielded her body with her wings. Pressure built up in her ears.
No! She closed her eyes and flexed her toes, focusing on the wooden floor beneath her feet. Slowly, the pressure weakened.
"Hey! Are you listenin'?"
It strengthened again. It threatened to burst. She took deep breaths, focused, focused. She pictured a familiar blue face, black beady eyes, white beak and cheeks, and her mother saying those words in her sing-song voice:
"A good girl is a quiet girl."
She opened her eyes and the world was clear again.
She brought that smile back on her face.
"We truly apologize for the unavailability of those menu options," she said, voice bright, "but I'm sure we have other options available you would like. Please try choosing another item."
The gumshoos' eyes had widened at her sudden change in behavior, but they soon drooped back to half-closed. "Feh." He waved his arm lazily and turned around. "I'll find someplace else."
Nella watched as the gumshoos slouched out, his long tail dragging behind him, surely saving whoever was on cleaning duty that day some time. Only once the door had slammed shut in his wake could Nella let her forced vigor melt away.
Needing some time to feel presentable again, she slipped back in the kitchen, leaned against a wall and sighed.
It's alright. I'll be here for just a minute, then get back. There was no one in line. Surely they can't need me again so soon --
Ding!
She wanted to scream. But she didn't. A good girl was a quiet girl.
She took just a little more time to herself - surely the customer would prefer a little delay over being served by an anxious mess - before walking back out. She wished this customer wouldn't be as rude, but accepted the possibility. She had no other option, anyway.
She raised her gaze to meet the ringer of the bell, preparing to stick that smile on her lips once again - but as her eyes met the mon behind the counter, she could not suppress her surprise.
A white, gold-striped incineroar dressed in brown leather stood behind the counter, posture proud but calm and face neutral. Nella's gaze flicked around his body, his blue eyes, his muscular arms, his grayish-brown chest peeking out from his open coat, his cheek tufts that were long enough to drape over his broad shoulders… with the exception of his colors, it was like Incineroar Arthur had leapt right off the pages of Lionhearted, ready to woo the plain little seamstress with his fierce strength but noble heart...
So men like him really did exist.
"Hello?"
Nella flinched, remembering where she was and what she was supposed to do. "Uh, welcome to Wart- I mean --" Blood rushed to her face, making her nose an even deeper red than usual. She spent half a second to pull herself together, then tried again. "Welcome to Martha's. Would you like… food…?"
"...Yes," the stranger answered, thankfully without any ire - or so Nella hoped, at least. He looked down at the menu on the counter. "I would like the cod and potatoes."
Nella's nose must have been glowing right then.
“We’re sorry,” she said, taking care to pronounce each word right, “but that option is currently unavailable.” She paused. “The berry mash is also unavailable. Please order some item other than those two.”
“Oh.” The incineroar eyed the menu again. “Is the beef stew available?”
She nodded, and hoped dearly that she would be right.
”That, then,” he said, “and… you wouldn’t happen to have any wine, would you?”
At least that one wasn’t on the menu to begin with. It made talking a bit easier, though her face was still burning. “Sorry, but we do not serve wine. We do serve beer, if you’d like that?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just have some milk, then.”
“Milk and beef stew,” Nella repeated to etch them in her mind. “Coming right up. Feel free to choose a table in the meantime.”
She curtsied - why did she curtsy? They didn’t do that there! But the stranger, he seemed so noble…
She escaped into the kitchen before she could do anything weirder. She took a deep breath, then shouted to the staff. “Beef stew for one!”
“Will do!” shouted back Harvey.
She sighed in relief. Finally something worked out.
She turned around to return, pausing briefly to let the butterfree in her belly settle, then stepped back out into the scene. But as soon as she spotted the stranger again, sitting by a nearby table, their eyes met and all those little bugs leapt aflutter again.
But she still had a job to do. She grabbed a glass from beneath the counter and fetched a jug of milk from the icebox. She brought both to the stranger and poured the glass full - with great caution, as she knew she'd never forgive herself if she spilled the milk right there and then.
"There you go," she said and forced herself to give the polite amount of eye contact. The stranger thanked her with a smile - he smiled at me! - which Nella acknowledged with a nod before returning to the counter. She placed the jug back in the icebox and then… and then… oh dear, she didn't have anything to do, did she? She'd have to simply stand there, in full view of that handsome stranger, and stay presentable the whole time.
She glanced at the stranger. He wasn't drinking and showed no intentions to do so. He must have been the type to wait for his food before starting his drink. Should she have asked if he wanted the milk right away before giving it to him? Now it would sit there getting warmer for no reason. Oh, stupid, stupid.
Though maybe he'd change his mind. Maybe he'd start drinking and her mistake wouldn't have mattered so much. She stood still in wait until she realized how rude of her it was to stare. Her gaze hopped from that table to another, then another, another and another. She would check for any customers that may have finished - a reasonable activity for a waitress - but the answer was always no. As a result, more and more often her eyes lingered on the stranger, examining his unique looks and apparel.
Why did he wear all that leather? Was he cold? But if he was cold, why didn't his jacket have any sleeves? Was he hiding something he was ashamed of, like furless patches or scars? She did notice a nick in his ear. Perhaps he fought often. But he was clearly no ruffian, no, he must have been a professional. But he had no uniform - at least it didn't look like it. Was he someone for hire? Was he a bounty hunter? A mercenary? An assassin? But weren't assassins not supposed to draw attention to themselves? Or was he such a wanted mon that he felt it necessary to walk in protective wear out on the town? But then, again, why no sleeves? It made no sense --
Her thoughts shattered as the stranger returned her look. She'd been caught staring. She'd messed up yet again. Oh, why couldn't she do anything right?
"Nella!"
She jumped in her skin, then turned around. Harvey's wide head peeked out of the kitchen doorway.
"Sorry," Harvey grumbled, "but you didn't react when I tapped the wall."
Nella sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. What is it?"
"Beef stew's ready. Been ready for a while."
Nella's face froze while her stomach plummeted through the floor.
"Whoa, you alright?"
Could Daisy serve this one? Nella wanted to say, but knew Harvey wouldn't have asked her if the golduck was available. Her shift had probably ended. Closing time wasn't that far off.
Instead, Nella forcibly thawed her face. "Oh, yes, sorry. There's nothing to worry about. Let's go."
She followed Harvey to the kitchen and soon spotted the bowl of stew on a tray ready to go. It was no longer steaming, but a quick wave of her wing above it confirmed it was still sufficiently warm to serve. She nodded her thanks to Harvey, picked up the tray and once again headed out into the cold.
Just get over there, give him the bowl and then get out, she told herself. But don't forget to be polite. Oh, just... do it the way you always do and you'll be as good as invisible.
Her stiff steps finally took her to the stranger's table. As he shifted his attention from studying the flowing patterns in the wood of the table to her, Nella remembered to smile. Always smile when looked at.
"Here's your beef stew," she said, setting the bowl on the table. "Enjoy your meal!"
She turned around to leave, her heartbeat slowly turning triumphant - she did it, it was over --
"Excuse me."
And the rhythm of her heart fell into chaos again.
She turned to the stranger, unable to look him in the eye and settling for his forehead. "Y-yes…?"
"Is it alright for me to pray here?"
"Pray?" It took a second to process the word. Why would he pray? Did he mean saying grace? She'd seen other customers do it and Martha had never said anything about it, so it must have been fine by her. "Sure?" she said, questioning tone unintentional, but a second try wasn't worth it.
"To be clear, it will not be in the name of Mew or Arceus or any other deity you've likely heard of," the incineroar said, pulling a necklace out from under his coat. It had a curious pendant - a round, blue, sparkling stone encircled by a brass ring with four spikes pointing up, down, left and right. "I am a follower of Solgaleo."
The stranger was right - Nella had never heard of a deity like that, not that her family was all that spiritual. She nearly said yes without much further thought, but then realized Martha likely wouldn't want any demon-worship taking place in her establishment.
"Well, um, that depends," started Nella. "What do you intend to pray for?"
"Not for anything, really," the stranger said. "Only to thank Him for the day."
Nella clacked her claws together in thought. "I… suppose that's alright. As long as you're not bothering anybody."
The stranger nodded. "You have my word. Thank you."
"Sure." Nella nodded back, sensing her cue to exit. "Enjoy your… meal."
She turned and walked away quickly before he could see her once again reddening face.
Having reached the relative safety of the counter, Nella dared to look back. The incineroar had his hands together and eyes closed, seemingly speaking something too quietly to hear over the other customers. A wave of relief washed over her, even if she never really expected the stranger to start trouble.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the opening of the door. A group of three new customers arrived. Nella brought that polite smile back onto her face again - though this time, it seemed a lot easier.
---
"Thank you, have a good night!"
She waved the tangrowth, raichu and weavile goodbye with one wing with a pouch of coins in the other. The bar was now empty of customers save for one - the white-furred incineroar. On her way back to the counter, she stole yet another glimpse at the stranger to confirm it, and indeed, he was still there, at that moment watching the three mon leave.
Closing time was soon at hand, though. She'd have to ask him to leave. It didn't seem like he had any stew or milk left, so why was he still --
Nella blanched. He needed her to collect his payment for the meal!
As much as she wanted to just run away and hide, she knew that'd eliminate whatever was left of her chance to keep her job if Martha were to find out. And then Mother would find out --
No, there was no time for that! A customer, likely a furious one, was waiting!
She ran - no, ladies do not run, she skipped - to the stranger, and as soon as he turned to her, she began her plea for forgiveness.
"I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Incineroar! I-I neglected to serve you. I'll collect your payment right away. O-or actually, it's on the house! I'll cover the expenses. Please don't think less of our establishment - the fault was mine alone. Is there anything else I can --"
She quieted as the stranger raised his palm. He doesn't want to hear my excuses. Oh, heavens, I'm finished --
"It's quite alright."
The absence of bile in his voice left Nella frozen. She hadn't thought of how to respond to a reaction like this.
"I was in no hurry to leave," the stranger continued, "so I wanted to stay a while longer, simply watching mon come and go. In my profession, respite is precious, and I welcome a moment of peace whenever one comes."
Nella brought her claws together, gaze dropping to the floor. "You don't have to downplay my mistake," she quietly said. "You can be upset."
"There's nothing to be upset about," he assured. "If I really wanted to leave, I simply would have called you."
Nella dared to look at the stranger’s face again. There was nothing but honesty in those sky-blue eyes. She felt like a fool, making such a scene, and blood quickly rushed to her face again.
“Th-thank you,” she could manage.
The stranger sat up straighter. “You know, I’ve never seen a noivern with wings pink on the underside.”
“Really?” Nella spread her left wing to display the color. “Well, I guess I've only ever met a few other noivern in my life so I suppose I don’t really know how rare or common it is...”
“I’ve seen quite a few,” said the stranger. “They’ve had green, blue, teal, gray, white, even red under their wings - but never pink.” He smiled. “It’s a very nice color.”
Nella blinked, unsure how to take the compliment - it had been very long since the last time she received one, after all. “Um, thank you,” she peeped. “I… I like your colors, too.” She also liked everything else, but knew saying that would come off overbearing.
The stranger's smile widened, making his whiskers rise by just a bit. His face looked so soft. Nella's heart quickened. With each moment, he resembled Lionhearted's Arthur even more - but he was real.
"I'd be surprised if you'd seen other white incineroar," the stranger said. "We are very few, and live quite far from here."
“You come from far away?” asked Nella, immediately reconsidering her choice. With a question like that, she was really taking part in the conversation. Now she was responsible for being worth his time…
“Albaton,” he said. “Have you heard of it?”
Nella shook her head. “Not that I know much of anything...” she mumbled.
“No, that is the common response.”
He then slid back his chair and got up. She didn’t insult him, did she?
“You know, I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself yet,” he said and offered a hand. “Incineroar Leander.”
“N-Noivern Nella,” Nella responded and gingerly inserted her claws into his hand. Her fingers were much smaller, much more delicate - and much colder, she realized when the incineroar squeezed her fingers, spreading warmth all the way up to her elbow. His grip was firm but softened by his fur and paw pads. His claws weren’t sharp like those of four-legged felines - likely due to an inability to retract them, she deduced as she pondered the structure of his hand.
Then, the embrace broke, and the warmth disappeared. Nella drew her claws back to her chest. They were nowhere near as warm.
Leander lowered his hand. “So, do you have plans for this evening?”
Nella’s ears twitched.
He asked for plans. That meant he liked her. Wanted to spend more time with her. Get to know her better. See her more times afterwards. Enter a relationship. Possibly, hopefully, marry.
No, she was getting ahead of herself. Especially since she couldn’t see him today anyway.
“Actually, I have to go to bed early tonight,” she said. “To have the energy for tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see. What about tomorrow night, then?”
“Well...”
Technically, she had made no plans, but she already knew tomorrow would be just as tiring.
“I feel like it would be the same,” she said, defeated.
“Ah. Shame.”
She sighed. “Yes, it is...”
A silence hung in the air as Nella pondered whether there was any day that could work. There was Sunday with no work, but that was four days away - far too long to make a gentleman wait. Though if he suggested that, it would mean he was willing...
“Right,” said Leander, snapping Nella out of her thoughts. “I should pay.”
Pay. The incineroar dug a pouch out of his pocket. He was paying. This conversation was ending. He did not want to wait beyond tomorrow. Perhaps he wouldn’t even be in town anymore - it was clear he was a traveller.
“How much was it?”
”Um, one silver, four bronze.”
He picked out the necessary coins and handed them to Nella with a smile. “Here you are.”
She took just a second to admire that smile, that warmth, good intent, pressing it into her memory as a memento of what could have been. Leander, the white incineroar with golden stripes.
She took the coins and slid them to her pouch. “Thank you, have a good...night.”
The automatic phrase had ended the conversation for her.
Leander nodded. “Have a good night as well, Nella. And sleep well.”
With that, he turned around and headed for the door. The seconds it took for him to reach it felt more like minutes. Then, he opened the door, gave a final smile, stepped through and closed the door behind him.
She stood in silence.
Well, there was nothing more to do there. She should store away the coins.
She made her way to the counter, her claws producing hollow clicks against the wooden floor. She took out her key and opened the coin drawer. One by one, she took a coin from her pouch and dropped it to its container. Copper in the copper container, bronze in the bronze container, silver in the silver container, gold in the... just kidding. No one brought gold here.
She sighed.
See, it doesn’t pay to be a working woman on her own, said a familiar voice inside her head. That’s just how the world works.
Nella grasped her forehead with a wing. Of course. Of course Mother would come back now.
She tried to stay calm and made her counterpoint. You agreed that the worklife would give me experience.
I did, darling, a year ago. But frankly, darling, I doubt these little odd jobs have anything to teach you anymore. And you’re not getting any younger.
I’m only nineteen, Mother.
Only, you say… Nelly, darling, I've told you this before. I have seen noivern and I tell you they do not age with grace. That fur’s only going to get bristlier. Gray hairs start popping up here and there. And your teeth - they’ll keep growing. But if you charm a man now, he’ll be blinded for life - in his eyes, you’ll be young forever.
For a split second, Nella saw herself beside Leander.
Oh! Mother gasped. Who is this gentleman?
Nella squeezed her eyes shut. No one. He’s not real... she tried, but her memories of their meeting replayed on their own.
You let him go? the altaria shouted, puffing her plumage and throwing her wings in the air - Nella had to admit it was quite unladylike for someone so preoccupied with elegance. What were you thinking?
Mother, I have to think about my job! If I come in tired again and start messing up orders, e-even though I’m really trying --
You know I would give you anything you needed if it helped you find a man!
Nella paused. She was right. Mother would gladly support her… but what if she couldn’t make it work with him?
At least you’d have learned something - something that’d help you a lot more than anything you could possibly learn from running errands in that lousy pub!
She might actually say that.
And, darling - if a man really did show his interest, with you on the job nonetheless, you’ve cleared the hardest hurdle. You have a chance. After all this waiting, you have a chance. And you’re just going to throw it away?
Nella opened her eyes. She wouldn’t.
She shut the drawer and locked it, shoved the remaining coins in her pouch and ran for the door. Yes, ran - she had to make it in time. She could even fly - well, actually, she couldn’t. This section of town was a no-fly zone for mon of her weight class, and she wouldn’t be able to meet him if she was arrested. She had to settle for running.
She burst out the door with enough force to make her wings ache. She looked right and she looked left - no sight of the stranger, but she’d search all night if she had to.
Where was the nearest inn? He may be on the way there if he’s a traveller. Trevor’s was closest, right? It was eastward - so she should go right at first. She dashed that way until the junction, where she took another right --
There, in the distance, a tall figure clad in brown leather, white fur, it's him, it's him!
But who was that standing beside him?
Tall, slim, green and white… a gardevoir.
She laughed.
He laughed.
Nella's heart sank.
The gardevoir's dress danced in the breeze. Her voice was bright, but not shrill, and her speech had the perfect tempo and enunciation. Whenever she laughed, she raised her hand to her mouth, and at all moments her posture stayed flawless.
No wonder he was captivated. She was perfect.
And Nella could never compete.
---
Scrape, scrape, scrape. The broom's bristly hairs brushing against the floorboards was the only thing keeping the restaurant from dead silence.
The others had left long ago - even Amal, who was tasked with depositing the day's profits in Martha's stead, and she usually stayed the longest. But she was not the one who dreaded going back to her empty quarters. With all those books of silly stories of love and passion that would never come true.
Nella sighed, probably for the seventeenth time by now, and the cycle of thoughts began anew.
She should have said she was free. She should have realized sooner how valuable the opportunity was. She shouldn't have let him go. Even if it made her look desperate. She was desperate! She would've settled for much less, and yet she had the chance to catch the perfect man - or the best man she could ever get.
Could she, even? Maybe it was all a trick to begin with? Maybe that gardevoir was in on it? But what was there to gain from courting some dowdy little waitress? She wasn't rich - she barely got by. She wasn't important - her family wasn't that influential. And she already knew she wasn’t pretty.
That incineroar must have had something wrong with him. He did belong to some weird religion. Maybe he was searching for a woman to sacrifice to his god in some dark, twisted ritual…
...no, she'd been reading too many books.
A clanking came from the door. Someone was trying to open the lock.
Nella's fur stood on end, bristlier than ever, and she grasped the broom tighter. "Wh-who's there?"
The door opened, and a familiar nidoqueen stepped through.
"Calm down, it's just me," said Martha, closing the door.
Nella sighed in relief. "What brings you here?” she then asked. “I thought you were going to be elsewhere until Thursday.”
“I thought so, too,” said Martha, marching right past Nella into the kitchen, “until I heard Greedent Gustav was coming.”
Nella followed her. “Um… who is that?”
“The mon who will make or break my career,” Martha said, opening cupboard after cupboard, checking all pouches and containers inside. “If he decides to drop by during his stay in Lepach, that is.”
“So… he’s a food critic?”
“He’s the food critic. In this backwater corner of the kingdom, anyway...” She dashed past Nella to another set of cupboards, blind to the noivern-tail that was in her way and would have tripped her had Nella not withdrawn it at the last moment. “I need to make sure we’re not running low on anything that can’t be bought at the market tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, I see."
Gradually, Martha's motions became more patient. "Okay, so far so good," she mumbled. "Everything seems to be in order…"
But on the next cupboard, she froze.
She turned to Nella with one pouch in her hand. "Is this all the bitterleaf we have?"
"Umm… I-I don't know, I don't work in the kitchen?"
Martha ignored her and checked the remaining cupboards. She then reached into one drawer, took out a slip of blank paper and began writing.
Nella began wondering if it'd be better for her to leave, but right then --
"Noivern!" the nidoqueen barked.
Nella yipped. "Y-yes?"
Martha folded the slip. "You've been to Zem's before, right?"
"Zem's?"
"Drowzee Zem's!" Martha snapped, and Nella cowered.
"I-I remember a drowzee… do you mean the potionmaker?"
"Of course I mean the potionmaker," Martha grumbled. "But you remember the way to his house?"
"Yes, I do." She thought so, at least.
Martha handed her the slip and the empty pouch of bitterleaf. "Go to him and ask for bitterleaf. The slip will tell him that I'll pay later, and handsomely."
Nella paused. "What, now?"
"Yes!"
Absolutely not, Nella thought at first. Don't be selfish, she thought right after. You can't let your employer take advantage of you, she thought after that. She wrestled with those thoughts until she finally made her choice - standing her ground. She opened her mouth --
"You'll get tomorrow off, obviously," said Martha. "I need to meet Mr. Greedent in person, anyway, and the best way to do that is to do some waitressing myself. I'll handle your shift."
Oh. That made it a lot more reasonable. And she supposed she still didn't want to go home, anyway…
The nidoqueen smacked her tail against the floor, impatient. "Well? Are you going or what?"
"I-I'm going," Nella stuttered. Oh boy, I suppose I'm going.
"Good."
Nella took the slip and the pouch and stored them in her bag. Martha quickly brought her a lantern and… another pouch? This one was much smaller and red in coloration.
"Spores of morelull," said Martha as she handed it over. "Throw 'em towards anyone or anything giving you trouble. A handful ought to put even a raging tauros to bed. Don't breathe 'em in yourself. That should go without saying," she muttered.
“Um… thanks?”
“Don’t mention it. Now go, go, go! The sooner you come back, the sooner we can both get some sleep.” The nidoqueen rushed Nella back to the dining space and to the front door.
“But wh-what if the drowzee isn’t home?” asked Nella while the nidoqueen lit her lantern. “Or he doesn’t have bitterleaf? Or he has some, but doesn’t want to share?”
“Well, then I guess we’re all screwed.”
Lantern lit, Martha opened the door and gave Nella one last shove. “Good luck,” she said, and with that, she slammed the door.
---
Oh dear. Oh dear. Was this the right path? Should she have taken a right instead?
The wind strengthened, howling like a houndoom as it drained more warmth from her body. The lantern rattled, and the flame inside flickered. Don’t go out, don’t go out…
It did not. The wind calmed again. Nella sighed.
Though it wasn’t as if much relief could be felt in a scene like this. Layers and layers of cloud filled the sky, eliminating any chance of seeing the full moon Nella knew had to be there and shrouding the earth and all that stood upon it in darkness.
At least she had good hearing. All noivern did. Many times her mother had reprimanded her for eavesdropping when she brought up something that wasn’t intended for her to hear, but she’d never really tried to hear it - well, most of the time.
Even now, her ears would catch all sorts of sounds she didn’t need to hear. Rustling of leaves or calls of nightbirds were completely natural for a forest-flanking path like this, but it didn’t stop her from flinching each time. A constant weak pressure remained behind her ears, but she knew she could contain it.
At least those sounds were still relatively distant. Even if her first reaction was fear, whatever her imagination could cook up was still far enough away to fly away from in an emergency. How well she could fly in this wind was another question, but just knowing she wasn’t explicitly trapped calmed her mind just a little.
Though she probably shouldn’t fly away at the first sign of danger. She had the morelull spores. If she didn’t even try to rely on them, Martha would surely chew her out on abandoning her quest so easily. Not to mention that she could have --
No, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t bellow.
In any case, it was unlikely for her to cross paths with anything all that dangerous. Houndoom and ursaring were the largest predators around Lepach, and both were quickly hunted down or chased away after sightings. They had become more wary of civilized mon, too, and seemed to know that bothering one would mean a whole lot more bothering them.
Far away, something let out a peep. Nella froze until she’d fully processed the sound.
Just a zubat, she thought. Probably out hunting. It does seem like the best time for it...
She continued to walk, and the zubat continued to peep. She thought about the little thing catching mosquitoes in the air and nibbling on them with its tiny teeth. She smiled. She couldn’t understand why Mother was afraid of them. They were harmless! Mother said they fluttered so quickly, that they were unpredictable, but that seemed no different than a bird of the same size to Nella. And they only ate insects. They would flee from anything larger than them, unless they were guarding a nest, defending their family, and who couldn’t relate to that…
She noticed the peeping was getting closer. Sure, why not. Perhaps she could catch a glimpse of it in action - though it felt more likely that it’d leave the moment it really noticed her.
It kept approaching, and she felt more at ease. Even if it would only last for a while, she wouldn’t be travelling alone. She began glancing over her shoulder for a chance to spot the zubat against the slightly-brighter sky.
There it was! It was coming her way. Strange. It must have been a particularly daring zubat to fly this close. Or maybe it hadn’t noticed her at all. That theory felt more likely by the second as the zubat glided closer, headed straight towards --
Nella ducked, and the zubat zoomed past right above her head.
“Hey, watch out!” said Nella. “I’m trying to wal-”
The zubat turned in midair and dove at her with a screech. In the lantern’s faint light, she saw its fangs - double their usual size, curved, and sharp as needles.
There was something terribly wrong with this zubat.
She dodged the attack and opened her wings wide, then flapped them at the crazed mon. “G-go away!”
The zubat continued its assault, unfazed by the display. Nella shielded herself with a wing, though regretted it soon after as she felt a stinging pain in the membrane. The zubat had sank in its teeth.
Despite the pain it brought, she shook the zubat off. Pressure thumped in her ears, but no, no, she would not bellow, she had another weapon, she would use that. She scrambled for the red pouch in her bag, slipped in her hand and grabbed as much as she could, then folded her wing and threw the powder at the zubat.
The spores spread out like flour, but glowed in rainbow colors. The cloud enveloped the zubat, but its frantic flapping blew some of it back - and before Nella had even blinked, she’d breathed the spores in.
She ran away from the cloud, but the effects were too quick. The lantern slipped from her hand as her limbs became weak, and soon her body met the ground. As her conscious thoughts dispersed, one instinct finally gained control - but it was too late. The pressure in her ears had already deflated.
Beside her, she heard a thump. After that, nothing followed.
---
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