Destiny Village ~ Parfait Way

[Namohysip]

And once again, the dark room in the house of Truffle and Leg slid open, revealing nothing but darkness and two pinpricks of light within. At the very least, Leg was consistent, and she didn't seem to be stalking people at night this time, either. Perhaps she had a firm talking to from Maple...

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian smiled upon seeing those familiar pinpricks of light. He walked in, doll in hand, and gave her a friendly bow.

"I hope I'm not intruding. How have you been, Leg?" Cynthian asked, beaming a smile. He was more excited to see her again than he thought he'd be.

"Sorry I took so long to pay a second visit," he said with a chuckle. "Things came up, and I'd been hibernating most of the winter. Are doll crafting lessons still on the table?"

 

[Namohysip]

Leg withdrew some of the darkness so Cynthian could at least see her disguise.

"Khh..." Leg slid closer, poking and prodding at Cynthian to make sure he was real. Satisfied enough, she then inspected the doll Cynthian had brought. That, too, satisfied her.

"Make... doll," Leg repeated. "Was that... one... cozy?" She pointed at the doll. "Hi-ber-nate..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian stifled a giggle when Leg crept up and prodded at him. Did she think he was a hallucination and tried to verify? He decided not to ask.

"Yes, it's very cozy actually. Maybe I'm just weird, but the doll helps me deal with my fears and doubts sometimes. I see myself in the doll, and it makes me focus on me here and now," Cynthian said, holding the doll out in front of her as though to prove how much he was taking care of it. There was nary a blemish on the doll.

 

[Namohysip]

Leg's pinprick eyes brightened. "Good..." For one reason or another, she liked that. And then she slid back and rummaged through the pile of dolls that she had made. Then came some raw supplies, which she moved to Cynthian. Fabrics, stuffing, and even buttons and other little trinkets that would be sewn in with the dolls... Leg must have been waiting for just this moment to get to crafting.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian watched all the tools, fabrics and trinkets with sparkling eyes. Excitement welled up in Cynthian, and he pictured himself showing Mama Zahra a doll of herself and the look of joy and pride that'd be on her face.

"Okay, how do we begin? I suppose you'll show me the basics first? I'll do my best to follow your instructions properly," Cynthian said. He held out his flowers sprouted vines of varying widths, just so he can figure out which ones will be best for the job.

 

[Namohysip]

Leg, similarly, produced a few tendrils of her own, and held it firm so Cynthian could find the best match from his plant-based appendages. Afterward, they started with their lessons, very basic ones--it was a little difficult, mostly because Leg was not a very vocal teacher. Very practical and kinetic, demonstrating by example and sometimes guiding Cynthian with each gesture. Only an occasional, "Khh," or "Yes..." or "No!" accompanied Leg's guidance. Despite everything, though, she seemed to get her ideas across well.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian followed Leg's instructions as best he could, watching the way she folded the fabrics, how much stuffing she'd use to get the right firmness, as well as how she dug the needle into the doll to sew up different parts of it.

It was clunky and difficult for Cynthian at first, but by his third doll he found himself getting really into the craft and having a fun time.

"What do you think of this one? It's supposed to be a bounsweet," Cynthian said. The doll did loosely resemble the fruit pokemon, but he hadn't managed to calyx leaves to have the same thickness, and the doll's body was a bit too round.

"I could do a better job though," Cynthian admitted with a groan.

 

[Namohysip]

Leg looked it over. It was... not very good. But it was also Cynthian's first try, and nobody ever did their best on their first try. So, without saying much else, Leg pushed more fabric to Cynthian and nodded. "Again..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Pushed onward by Leg's encouragement, Cynthian smiled and made another attempt. He was extra careful with his measurements that time, and would ask Leg every now and then if he was moving in the right direction or not.

Eventually, Cynthian was able to sew together a very convincing bounsweet doll. It looked just like the real thing aside from being small and made out of cloth.

"I can see why you enjoy making these. I'm having so much fun," Cynthian said with a chuckle. He still had a ways to go before he could tackle on making a florges doll.

 

[Namohysip]

Leg beamed behind her disguise. "Fun," she repeated, bobbing her head as she started to move the supplies around. She had been working on a simple design while Cynthian worked; it looked like it was becoming a Smeargle.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"What's that you're working on?" Cynthian asked during a pause. He leaned over to get a better look and hummed with intrigue.

"It looks like a smeargle... Oh, are you making one of Maple?" Cynthian crept closer to admire the details of the doll. Though unfinished, it still gave off a refined vibe.

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes." Leg looked around, but then showed Cynthian the inner portions of the body. The chest had an intentional crease on the inside, which seemed to pull the body inside-out, revealing golden internals. "Hard..." It seemed she was trying to make the Smeargle able to pull itself inside-out for some reason...

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Yea, that does look hard." Cynthian brought a vine to his chin and stared at the golden internals. It seemed to him like she wanted the doll to be able to pull inside out, which confused Cynthian a bit.

"Are you trying to make the doll be able to pull inside out? Hmm, maybe you could make the opening bigger and add a zipper to It? It could even have a second layer over that just in case. That way it could be like a Nanab peel? Actually nevermind, that probably doesn't make much sense, right?" Cynthian said with an awkward laugh. He wanted to help, but he wasn't quite sure how to.

"Are the golden insides because Maple has a lot of Radiance? Or maybe it's because she has a heart of gold?... Probably the former."

 

[Namohysip]

Leg looked at Cynthian oddly, then at the doll again, turning it fully inside-out. It revealed an incomplete doll that was surprisingly a lot larger than when it had been a mere Smeargle, like it had been folded into itself several times to achieve that effect. It seemed softer, too, probably because the stuffing within was now no longer confined to such a small space... but the actual cloth was still barely made. It was hard to tell what it was supposed to look like, if anything, or perhaps Leg merely struggled...

"True body..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Whoa... So, you're saying Maple has a different body under... her body?" Cynthian tapped his cheek with a vine. Now that he thought about it, there were times when Maple's skin appeared to rip in places. He'd thought it was just an odd quirk of her powers, but was she under a disguise the whole time? That's one thing she shared in common with Diyem he supposed.

"Still, I think you're getting somewhere. I'd not have guessed you stuffed that much in there. It's almost like origami or something. Do you think Maple will show me her real form if I asked? Actually, wouldn't that be a rude thing to ask?" Cynthian said, lightly prodding at the doll's exterior.

"There must be some way I can help you somehow. I'd really love to see you finish this," Cynthian said with a respectful nod.

 

[Namohysip]

Leg appreciated it, and she showed it by shrinking away a little and making a sound that might have been a giggle. It sounded more like a whispering hiss in the rhythm of a giggle.

"Maybe... if you ask... nicely," Leg replied, curling inward while her disguise was still on. "Scary..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, I'm sure she won't be that scary. Though you've certainly gotten me curious now, so I'll ask her about it if I get the opportunity next time," Cynthian said with a chuckle. In his mind, he pictured Maple as being a blob with wings, or a large smeargle hat.

"I'll stay here and practice some more doll making, then go see what the others are up to." Cynthian grabbed a nearby cloth and needle. He wore a composed look on his face, working the needle carefully as he pictured a budew doll in his mind.

<><><><>

 

[windskull]

Nip stepped lightly over the stone pathways. He was on edge, and not just because of the impending ball of doom hanging in the sky. Though he had spent moons now among the carefully curated pathways well-constructed homes, he still struggled to feel at ease among the angular, unnatural structures. Exposed to the sky as they were, it felt as if one would be easy pickings for any large flier looking for a snack.

But this wasn't his world. It was nothing like his world, in fact, and he had to keep reminding himself as much. Besides, no flier would attack in the middle of a settlement like this. And they couldn't now, even if they wanted to.

The weavile shook his head as he pressed onward, taking large, light steps as he made his way past the homes. Maple lived somewhere over here, if he remembered correctly. It was just a matter of finding her.

 

[Namohysip]

She had appeared now and then in town, flying or otherwise visiting the establishments, and by coincidence she had been locked in the bubble of time with several of the other Legends. And yet, despite this, the two had never crossed paths until just then. Perhaps it was because neither liked to interact with others more than they had to...

A great, looming shadow passed over Parfait Way, like a great and ominous Y over Nip. Silent wings beat in the air as she descended, landing at a house only a few properties down. Yveltal--Guardian of Death, or the Deathbringer, so many titles surrounded that Legend. And there she was, landing with some kind of bag in the fist of her tail.