Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded. "Yeah. I get that."

She chewed over whether to open up about her own life, and whether it was down to the whiskey or Astrid's earnestness, she felt she could.

"No dreams here, but I do think about home more than I let on. I have a friend, a golett who goes by Gil. The rest of town can sort themselves out without me if I don't make it back, but Gil's the one who needs me."

She sighed. "Kinda hope I'm nicer to 'em when the time comes. Couple weeks here have opened me right up, even if it were only to get slugged in the heart for it. Still, I like myself better this way."

The moment the words left her mouth, the other feelings started piling in. Yeah, better not talk about herself after all. "Hrrm. You, uh... wanna tell me about those dreams?"

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid knew a hint when she saw one, and decided not to press. Instead, she pondered Brisa’s request, chuckling under her breath.

“They’re a little less vivid every time. Hehe, I had one the other night where my friend finally got with this guy she’s been crushing on, which was pretty funny. But most of them have been about my teammates, Helioptile and Mincinno. Those dumbasses…” She shook her head, smiling. “They’re very important to me. We’ve arrested so many outlaws together that certain areas of Lively Town aren’t safe for us to visit anymore, and goodness, Mincinno takes so much pride in that. And Helioptile lacks the self-awareness needed to experience fear at all, which is frightening in its own right.”

She stared off at the horizon, at nothing in particular. Her tails had grown still. “I certainly have my paws full from time to time. And there are parts I don’t miss. But, it’s h… it’s enough, I guess.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa let out a low whistle of approval at the remark about how many outlaws Astrid had arrested. So, she could fight after all, huh? With any luck, Brisa would get to test her mettle in the near future.

"Y'know, it kinda says somethin' that you're under less pressure tryin' to save the world from all this crazy shit here than you were back home," said Brisa. "I dunno, maybe you're tougher than you give yourself credit for, and it's the expectations you have for and from your friends that's hittin' ya."

Shit, maybe she should say something encouraging. Or was that the whiskey talking?

"Either way, I like you just fine the way y'are."

Fuck, she said it. Okay. Okay.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid shrugged. “There was always something going on back in my world too. Always someone who wanted to hurt people. And I think… I think it helps that all of us were dragged into this with the same lack of information as the next ‘mon. Isn’t nearly as lonely that way. Gives me time to really collect my thoughts.”

Brisa’s compliment suddenly registered, causing Astrid to suppress a giggle. “…Thanks. We should hang out sometime when we’ve got less on our shoulders, hm? There’s plenty to do in Treasure Town—ooh, have you been down the river?”

She turned her head back towards civilization, wondering if she could spot it from here. And… nope. Only the tippy-tops of buildings were visible over the ridge leading out to the bluff. The rest was obscured by trees.

What she did see, however, was movement along the path leading back up to the crossroads. With squinted eyes, she adjusted her neck to get a better look.

“I think someone might be on their way down.” Her tails wagged back and forth. “I didn’t get a very good look, but whoever it is, I don’t blame ‘em! It’s a really pretty day.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

A trip to the river... to hang out with Astrid? That sounded... real lovely, actually.

Brisa didn't answer straight away, in case her flustered heart fucked it up for her, but waved a paw at the newcomers.

"I can see 'em from here," she said. "Reckon it's... Cynthian and Cabot."

 

[TheGOAT]

From there, an idea was born. Arceus, it should’ve been obvious from the start what Brisa needed. Yes, it was exactly what she needed right now! Hopefully!

“What if…”

Astrid jumped up suddenly.

“…you and I…”

Her smile held a new emotion now: excitement.

“…had a friendly ol’ spar?”

She glanced to the path again. It had grown still once more, as the newcomers were now obstructed by the trees as they moved closer and closer. “If there’s more than one of them coming, maybe we could run some ‘two’s?”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

You weren’t careful, you got drunk with power through that light thingy, and you couldn’t control yourself. What if you ended up killing me, or someone else?

"A spar? Yeah. I'm always up for a spar. And I haven't been able to while laid up in the guild hospital. Sure."

She wasn't lying. She was the gal who sparred at every opportunity. That's just how she was.

But still...

...maybe she wouldn't use that radiant power that fucked her over so badly last time. Especially with whiskey still in her.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"it's so bright and sunny out here at the beach. There's no better time to enjoy some sunlight, won't you say, Cabot?" Cynthian inhaled deeply and huffed. He was already feeling rejuvenated and energetic. "I know you're a rock type, but I'm sure you'd agree a little bit of sunbathing does some good."

Cynthian's eyes lined the shoreline as they approached the beach until he noticed two figures seated on the sand. He squinted his eyes and held a flower over his forehead. "Looks like quite a few had the same bright idea. Aren't those Brisa and er... Astrid? Was that her name?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Oh! Yeah, that's them!" Cabot said. "And the sun does feels really nice here. Though I'd still come here even if it was cloudy. The sea reminds me of home and the sand feels really great!"

As the two got closer to Astrid and Brisa he raised his arm and cheerily waved at them. "Hey there!"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hello Brisa. It's good seeing you discharged from the guild clinic. How are you feeling?" Cynthian asked, approaching with a wave. His eyes then drifted to Astrid next to her. He wondered what to even say, as he'd not really interacted with her much at all.

"Hi."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Howdy, Cynthian," called Brisa, with genuine pleasure. "Feelin' right as rain, here. Thanks for visitin' me the other day while I was laid up, pity I wasn't in better shape for conversation."

And yes, Cabot was with him. She'd bumped into him a few times by now and he seemed a decent fella.

"Hey there, Cabot. Anything bringin' ya to the beach today?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Oh, I just wanted a moment to take my mind off of things when I bumped into Cynthian," Cabot replied. "The beach reminds me of home, so I like coming down here."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I did always make an effort to visit the beach in my world's treasure town whenever I could. It's nice being able to come here almost every day now." Cynthian pressed his foot into the sand and relished in the warmth of the sand radiating into him.

"Did you two come out here for a bit of sunshine too?" Cynthian asked the ladies. He glanced at the whiskey bottle present among them, but avoided making any comments on it.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shrugged as expansively as her feline shoulders would allow. "Felt like shit, came here to drink. Feelin' better now with pleasant company. Actually, Astrid and I were just thinkin' of sparring. Don't suppose you fellas would be willin' to join us?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Sure, I'd love to!" Cabot answered. "Maybe we can spar against each other in two teams of two?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

While Cabot showed enthusiasm, Cynthian expressed the exact opposite on his face. "Eh? A spar? Well I don't know..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Nothin' too strenuous," said Brisa. "One round of two-on-two, no dirty shots, going until yield or knockout of a pair. Don't mind who I pair up with, if I'm honest."

Silently, she hoped she'd get to fight Astrid. She wanted to see what the fox was made of for herself.

 

[TheGOAT]

"Hi."

She fired a radiant smile at the Roselia. “Hi! Im Astrid.” She didn’t know Cynthian very well, though he certainly seemed nice.

Brisa and Cabot were another story. Astrid was no stranger to fighting by Cabot’s side, and by all accounts, that would likely give her the best chance to win. They supported one another well and knew each others’ angles. But still, Brisa…

She glanced at the Shinx, a new, thin veil of excitement added to her smile (was she smiling too much? Who knew? Not her). Brisa had fought ferociously in the previous two battles, and after everything they’d just talked about, what better time to team up and test their young chemistr—

 

[Virgil134]

"I could team up with Astrid against you and Cynthian!" Cabot proposed, blissfully unaware of how Astrid was looking at Brisa.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid nodded. “Yeah, that works!”

…Oh, okay.

…

…