Rocky Road ~ House of Dill, Saltriv, Shiron, and Vix

[IFBench]

"Thanks, Owen. I hope you can continue helping people back at your home, too," Saltriv smiled, waving their leaf at the Charizard.

They then picked their pen back up, and resumed writing, filled with inspiration.

<><><><><><><>​

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv stepped out of their house, feeling the sunlight on their leaf. It was a great day outside, but even despite that, they still felt conflicted, about everything that had happened recently.

Maybe doing some gardening would help.

They walked over towards the garden, and began tending to the plants.

 

[Fusion]

A ball of red and black fur rolled up to the house, thinking about knocking before rolling to the back of the house, catching the scent of flowers and soil. One of which sounded delicious, the other was a really powerful fashion statement.

Arriving in the garden, the ball of fur unfurled, revealing the Kora within. "Howdy! I didn't think I'd find this place on my first try, Saltriv!" he said, waving.

Or our third try.

Or the fourth, or fifth.

Honestly we just followed the process of elimination by the end of it...

"Nice garden you got here. Did you grow it yourself?" Kora asked, casually putting his paw into a bag of soil. Also of note, his mane shifted from red to green.

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv smiled, waving their leaf at the Zororark. "Hi Kora! Nice to see you! Me and Vix grew it together!"

 

[Fusion]

"Vix? Has someone mentioned that name before..?" Kora hummed, tilting his head.

Literally no idea.

It's been too long to remember if it did.

And that's such a small, forgettable name too.

The fox shrugged, grinning. "Oh well, it's still a nice garden." Kora sat on the ground, crossing his legs and putting the bag of soil in his lap. He looked noticeably pleasant... for a moment, then his face scrunched up a bit. For the tiniest moment. "So, how're you holdin' up? You know, with all this hero stuff? The Blacklight, and all that... """fun""" stuff?" he asked, wondering if he made "fun" sound sarcastic enough.

 

[IFBench]

"Thanks!" Saltriv said, before their leaf began to droop.

"It's...been difficult. There's so much bad stuff happening. I'm trying my hardest, but...I don't want to end up hurting someone," they said.

"...and I'm going to have to do even more once I'm home..."

 

[Fusion]

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Kora sighed. He hopped over to Saltriv's side, resting his head on what would probably be a shoulder. "But, at the very least, you won't have to deal with as much nonsense as you did here. And you'll be more prepared for it, even if you forget everything here. It's like, muscle memory, but for the soul," he chuckled.

He looked up at Saltriv, smiling warmly. "And, take it from me, I don't think you have to worry about hurting someone. As far as I know, Blacklight on its own only makes you act how you want to, and twists it if you have too much. You're a sweet lil pea, so unless you secretly wanna hide under a mattress and give someone sleeping issues, you're gonna be fine!"

How long were we waiting to use that?

...About a month.

And you kept track?

It's a really funny anna loggy! Analogo... Funny Phrase.

*Snrk

Can it.

 

[IFBench]

"...I haven't had the same experience," Saltriv said, recalling what had happened in Moonlit Forest. "And...I don't know. Saving the world here has been difficult enough, and we had a giant team. Back there...it's just me, Burhalla, and Gen."

And they'd be at even more risk of hurting them, with all this pressure on them.

 

[Fusion]

Kora hummed, tilting his head and closing his eyes in thought. "Well, you got me there, guess Blacklight doesn't act the same for everyone. But, honestly, Cibus and the Blacklight are a unique case. Saving Cibus and dealing with Blacklight is like going into a gun fight with a really big stick."

"And, just a bit of heroic advice--"

Ironic, considering who is giving it.

"With how friendly you and Gen are, and I assume Burhalla too, your team's gonna grow into somethin' special! I dunno how far you guys were before you came here, but it definitely sounds like you guys are just startin' out, so there's nothin' to worry about yet," he nodded, grinning. "Heroing without dealing with Blacklight is a whole lot easier than you think, and, I dunno, it comes naturally to some people."

He floated up to be eye level with Saltriv, now with both of his arms elbow-deep into the bag of soil in his lap. He had a warm look on his face, friendly perhaps. "And, seeing how you decided to stay instead of going back home, there's definitely enough of a hero in you to save your own world. Whether you can see it or not."

 

[IFBench]

As they listened to Kora's words, Saltriv began to smile. "Thanks, Kora!"

As Saltriv thought over Kora's words more, their confidence grew. They really were just starting out, and they had so much to go, and they'd already purified Flapple!

They could be a hero, just like their uncle!

 

[Fusion]

Kora gave a bright, toothy grin. "Ain't nothin' to thank me for, just helpin' a friend get their head on right!"

By sheer luck.

"I dunno how much it'll help, but whenever I start doubting myself, it helps to remember what I'm bein' a hero for. For me, I'm doing it to protect my friends and family. What're you tryin' to be a hero for?" Kora asked. "And, whatever it is, make sure you don't forget it."

 

[IFBench]

"I'm trying to be a hero because...my uncle was one and I want to be like him, and to help Burhalla and Gen, and to save the world, and maybe even become part of the World-Savers' Council, and to help as many people as I can!" Saltriv said, smiling brightly now.

 

[Fusion]

Kora grinned, still elbow-deep in the bag of soil. His vibrant green mane looked fluffier all of a sudden. "That is literally the sweetest thing I've heard today! Besides, like, actual sweets, and sugar, and this bag o' dirt!" he chirped, unaware of that sounded like an insult or not. From the look of it, he was very much enjoying the soil, so obviously he didn't intend for it to be an insult. If it was.

"I'm almost kinda jealous, you got so much to shoot for, and I'm just tryin' to be a family man. Mon? ...Guy? Family guy kinda has a nice ring to it," Kora hummed, then snickered. "A bit simple though, dunno how long I'd wanna wear that nickname out."

"Still, though, I'm proud of you. Heroing isn't easy, as you've seen, and getting yourself to stick to it is probably the hardest part about it. It's easy to just give up, but you can't help other people that way, can't you?" he shook his head, letting out a light chuckle, then pulled is arms out of the soil to offer the bag to Saltriv. Tiny black roots had sprouted out of his arms, it seemed. "You wanna try this stuff? This is probably one of the richest bags of dirt I've had in a while! I forgot how classy Destiny Village was with everything."

 

[IFBench]

"...no thanks,", Saltriv said. Even if they were a plant, that didn't meet they eat dirt.

Good to see Kora was still the same person, though!

<><><><><><><>​

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv walked into their home after their conversation with Dave, and headed over towards their bed, where their journal laid, picking it up and beginning to write in it.

They sincerely hoped that Dave's advice, and their knowledge of Gen being human, could somehow carry over when they returned to their world.

 

[Navar]

"That interview was fun..." Shiron said to himself as he walked into the house, only to see Saltriv nearby.

He quickly ran towards them, waving. "Heya, Saltriv!"

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv looked up from their writing, and craned their neck to look over at Shiron, smiling as they waved their leaf.

"Hi Shiron!" they said. "How are you?"

 

[Navar]

"Not bad myself," he replied, smiling. "How about you? Enjoying the time left before our journey ends?"

 

[IFBench]

"Yep!" they said. "Just got done talking with Dabe!"

Best not to burden the rest of their friends with their worries about what'll happen once they return.

 

[Navar]

"I came back from an interview myself!"

He gave them a thumbs up. "It's been a ride, eh? I'm glad you're my friend, Saltriv."