Destiny Village ~ Parfait Way

[Tanuki]

“Eh?” Zane got bored with their discussion and pulled out his latest run on Galladius to pass the time. “You hear back from him?” Luckily, he was between stages, so he could pause. “I mostly just yell at him whenever I’m frustrated or angry, so he doesn’t talk back much.” He shrugged.

“I guess I could try?” Hey, wake up fakizard. Icee’s trying to talk. While awaiting a response, he looked back to Puff. “Any update on meeting Reshiram? I have an idea for a game he might be interested in.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa arrived at Parfait Way almost feeling comfortable, with Starr keeping up the conversation with a mix of cajoling and levity, and Luz pitching in every time Brisa felt a twinge of uncertainty. Eventually, Luz's habit of killing awkward silences before they could be noticed felt like a safety net of sorts. Luz picked out a street food stand that she liked the look of, and the three of them wandered about the less crowded areas talking and enjoying the nourishment.

Eventually, Luz wandered off, leaving Brisa and Starr to talk together. They seemed to be getting on just fine now that Brisa was past that idiotic and unnecessary stumbling block of skittishness. They'd be fine. She pricked an ear to listen for their conversation among the throngs.

"Oh, she's wandered off... Mm? No, I never met the real Luz. There's no accountin' for my Luz' behaviour. Mighty queer if you ask me."

Yeah, they'd be just fine.

Luz wandered for a minute until she spotted a rueful-looking absol with an accompanying shade... with no form. That would be Celeste and his shade, then. Now they might not be quite so fine. Time to make an introduction. She strode over and tipped an imaginary hat to the pair.

"Good evenin', and how d'you do, fellas? Zeraora Luz, pleased to make yer acquaintance."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste nodded in acknowledgment, figuring a bow might be too formal. “My name is Celeste, it’s nice to meet you. I’m doing well enough, how about you?”

Soul hesitated before volunteering their own introduction. “My name is... Soul.” It occurred to Celeste that he hadn’t asked if they had chosen a name yet. It seemed they had. Soul continued, “You’re one of us? Who are you bound to?”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz grinned. These two just absolutely reeked of awkwardness. Good thing she was here.

"That I am, lil' shade. I'm bound to Luxio Brisa, for my sins."

Now, what was the best play here? She could go in directly with a comment on poor Soul's lack of physical definition, or take the scenic route through the conversation. Or perhaps–

"Now I ain't made my up about you yet, absol, but my gal sure likes you. Or at least, she means to stay in yer good graces."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Luz’s wild grin had Celeste on edge, but still, it was best to be polite. “Well, I don’t see her falling out anytime soon. She’s helped me out of a few rough spots. We may not be the best of friends, but I regard her quite well nonetheless.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz nodded. "Glad to hear it, fella. A mon needs friends in a world as strange as this. Don'tcha think?"

She took a sly glance at Soul while enjoying some more of her street food. Thank goodness for dexterous paws that could handle chopsticks.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste smirked. “We need friends in worlds far less strange than this one.”

Soul slunk back from Luz. Was that glance judgment? Or just surprise that Soul existed at all? Either way, it couldn’t be a good thing.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"You're a shy one," Luz remarked at Soul as they shrank back. "Made any friends yet? I've existed for all of half an hour and I'm lookin' to make some."

She chuckled brightly. Existing was already so interesting.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’ve existed for a while, but I came out all messed up, so I haven’t made any friends yet. You would be me first friend... if we were to be friends, that is.”

Celeste smiled. He was proud of Soul. As that feeling was recieved by Soul, they felt like they were going to burst... but in a good way. A good kind of bursting? Soul wondered if that was a thing.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz beamed. Oh, what a bright and hopeful response! And she had a friend now, which was all kinds of splendid.

"Well how about that? We're each of our first friends. Y'can call me whatcha like, friend, but I go by Luz 'cause I like to bring light where I go. It would be my pleasure to get to know ya."

She gave a dramatic bow, balancing her box of street food in one paw. She'd barely been conscious for any time at all, and already it was so much fun to be Zeraora Luz~

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Luz... Luz is a neat name. It would be my pleasure to know yah, too.” After all, it seemed the world was less scary when you knew people in it.

Celeste had to hold himself back from laughing. Soul trying out Luz’s way of saying ‘you’ was pretty cute, especially because they weren’t particularly good at it.

 

[Namohysip]

Maple smiled weakly at Saltriv, then glanced toward the many at the party, then sighed. "...Potluck, I think... it was a good choice that you brought me here."

"That's great!" Potluck trotted toward an open area to set her down to relax.

"I'm beginning to think that I was too hard on them," she admitted, looking at the Shades. "But..." She checked her badge, seeing the warning messages about Diyem being missing. There was a trace of suspicion just then. Could she have been off target...? Was she blaming them for something perhaps only Diyem was plotting?

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time. She still had to recover.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oh, imitation? The sincerest form of flattery, to be sure. This one wanted to be a personality! Well, Luz would make an excellent role model~

"I quite like the ring of 'Soul', too," said Luz. "Say, Soul—have you tried eatin', yet? Let alone any of this street food? It's shining fare, I tell ya, you oughta give it a go."

She locked her digits together and splayed them out to crack her knuckles. "Or if you're lookin' to spar, I'm always up for that. It's just one of those things my gal Brisa and I have in common, I guess."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’ve never gotten hungry before, so I haven’t eaten yet... And I don’t think I can spar. Not like this, anyways.”

Celeste smirked. “If you know anything about sparring, it certainly didn’t come from my head.

“The Porygon guy thinks I might become something eventually. Maybe if I become something that’s supposed to need food, I’ll get hungry?” Soul wondered.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz shrugged. "I'm just happy to try things out, let stuff happen, do my thing. And hey, you don't need to be hungry to enjoy a snack. You got any inkling yet what you might enjoy doin'?"

She gestured an open palm toward Celeste. "What d'you like to do with yer time, fella?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I... I don’t know what I’d enjoy doing. There’s so many things... it’s overwhelming. This is my first time doing things and it’s already a lot.” Soul wiggled. “I like it, though. I like things.”

“As for me, I... Well, I like a good story. I used to read for excitement, but now that our real life is more absurd than novels, it’s become more of a relaxing thing. Something familiar. I also like stargazing, though apparently it’s hardly safe to do that alone anymore. I do enjoy when I run into a teammate on my wanderings, too.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz nodded eagerly. "I haven't done anythin' yet, but I remember what Brisa enjoys and I have a feelin' about what I do and don't also like. Readin' ain't so much my thing, but stargazin' with friends sounds mighty shiny. And sparrin'. That one I feel in my..."

She looked down at herself. She didn't have any bones, right?

"In my... in my guts. Yeah. Wow, it sure is weird bein' a shade."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“You don’t really have a gut, do you? We’re all see-through, wouldn’t we be able to tell?” Soul paused to think for a moment. “Or... maybe you do, because I don’t have one and I have no idea what I would enjoy. Maybe that’s because I don’t have a gut to tell me.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz slapped her belly lightly. "Whatever this is, it's gut enough fer me. And it's tellin' me I like to fight. Although... Ain't that the case fer pretty much all pokémon? And I guess I'm a pokémon, weird body aside."

Something buzzed in Luz' mind. ...Brisa?

"Looks like my gut is tellin' me we're about to have company."

Luz' luxio host arrived moments later, a faint smile playing on her face.

"Howdy, Luz, Celeste. I trust you're well, fella! And that Luz ain't botherin' ya. Oh, I see that ya have a familiar of yer own."

Brisa turned to regard Soul with a small bow. "May I ask yer name, stranger?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Soul extended some of their shadowy mass forward, imitating a bow as best they could in their ambiguous shape. “My name is Soul. I chose it myself! You... You’re Brisa? You’re the one that makes Celeste feel safe.”

Celeste let out some kind of half-choking noise. “Soul... Please... Let’s keep my thoughts in my head.”

Soul seemed disappointed. “But it’s a nice thing. Wouldn’t Brisa want to know that?