Rocky Road ~ House of Kate, Cabot, and Nip

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate shook her head back with a teasing smirk to the Rampardos.

"See, the thing is, if you came back to my world like the way you are, you'd have options for your marks," the Weavile said. "Why, you'd give 'mons from the army trouble if you felt like it! Normally they're high risk, high reward 'mons to pick a fight with, but I'd like to see 'em try to stop you like that."

The Weavile shrugged her shoulders a moment, before continuing on.

"And if you didn't and had to work your way back up, well... not every mark's all that likable," she said. "After all, I don't recall you losing much sleep over Pleo getting even with that Nidoking baker, huh?"

Kate paused for a moment and shuffled her claws quietly, seeing that he didn't seem any more convinced. She supposed from a certain frame of mind, it was hard to begrudge him. After all, one of her closest friends before circumstances forced them apart had always regretted the falling out he'd had with his family after it came out he was ripping off 'mons in the woods on the side. And even if they hadn't, it wasn't likely he'd be able to go back to being an apprentice glassblower.

The Weavile's mood took a darker turn as she thought of her own family, and how banditry ran in it. Or at least it used to before luck ran out. She couldn't blame Cabot if he was worried about something like that coming to pass.

"I'm not going to fault ya if you pass up on it. After all, the tricks of the trade kinda ran in my family, which is kinda a big starting advantage," she said. "My... parents kinda had their claws full, and I didn't exactly have siblings to look out for me, so when things got dicey for me in life, I did what I could on my own with the best way I knew how to. If you already have something else that's working out for you, don't really fault you for not wanting to give that up."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot fell quiet as he listened Kate, giving her a look of sympathy as she finished. He hesitated a moment, before speaking up.

"I understand. I guess things must have been hard for you when you grew up," the Rampardos murmured. "I don't have any siblings either, but my parents were always there for me and gave me all the love they had, so I could live whatever life I wanted. Granted, my dad kinda hoped I would have chosen to take over his shop, and they weren't exactly thrilled at first when I signed up for the navy, but they still supported me in the end. I... wouldn't know what it's like to grow up and be forced into living one way or another."

His gaze drifted down towards his feet for a moment, before looking back at Kate with a cheerful smile.

"That said, if I did have any siblings, I would have loved to have a sister like you."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate blinked back at a loss for words at Cabot's response, before she gave a small smile back in reply to the Rampardos.

"You flatter me, Cabot," she said. "I mean, I can't say what life would've been like if I had siblings growing up. But I could've done worse than to have someone like you as one."

 

[Virgil134]

"Heh, well, I would have introduced you to an actual good drink with alcohol for starters," Cabot teased. "After all, if I were your brother, shouldn't I be looking out for you? Pretty sure that includes looking out for bad tasting drinks."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"Tch, I trust you Cabot, but there's no need to make a fool of yourself," Kate chuckled. "After all, most 'mons start drinking more than sweet things once they grow out of childhood."

The Weavile pulled her foot back and kicked it forward lightly to jab Cabot's side with her toes.

"Though honestly, I doubt there's a whole lot I'd keep from you at this point if you just asked," she said. "Guess it comes with the territory, eh big brother?"

Kate paused for a moment, before giving a small smile back.

"Like my name. Normally I just go around as 'Kate', or 'Kate the Quickpaw'. But... that's technically not my full name," she said. "I... normally don't share it unless it's with family or really close friends... but, eh. I think you count at this point. It's really 'Kate Snibunnas the Quickpaw'."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot jolted to the right again as he felt another poke between his ribs, letting out a laugh in the process.

"Hey, that tickles!" he giggled. "And I'm not childish, if that's what you're saying!"

As his laughing subsided, the Rampardos curiously tilted his head. Back in the Cradle Pokémon usually only had two names: their common name and one that described the sort of Pokémon they were. He knew Pokémon in Varhyde shared this same convention, though this third name was new to him. While he wasn't sure what the significance of it was, from the way Kate talked about it, it was clear that it was something important to Pokémon in her world, and something that meant a lot to her as well.

"But, if that's a name you normally only tell to 'mons that close to you, then I appreciate you're willing to share it with me. Does it have a special meaning?" Cabot asked. "Either way, Snibunnas has a pretty nice ring to it."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"But, if that's a name you normally only tell to 'mons that close to you, then I appreciate you're willing to share it with me. Does it have a special meaning?" Cabot asked. "Either way, Snibunnas has a pretty nice ring to it."

It's my Vatername. In my world, everyone has a name saying who their dad was when they were hatched," Kate explained. "The convention is to give the name of what sort of Pokémon a 'mon's father was in Hightongue, with a suffix saying you were their child. In my case, it's technically short for Snibunnastochter, or 'Weavile's daughter'. But only real old farts and dweeby types use the full suffixes nowadays."

The Weavile's expression faltered for a moment, before she lowered her ears with a quiet sigh.

"There's some other things that can fill the role for Pokémon that nobody knows who was their father, but that's not exactly relevant for me," she said. "After all, I actually knew my father when I was younger, even if it wasn't for very long."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot shifted uneasily, giving Kate a worried look.

"How come you didn't know him for very long? Did something happen to him?"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Well, no point keeping it secret now. But my parents growing up were Outlaws," she explained. "For the first couple years of my life, they bounced me around from Day Care to Day Care in various towns and villages while plying their trade."

The Dark-type sighed and let her eyes drift up towards the ceiling quietly.

"Whenever it was a quieter time, my parents would come by to look after me. And dad would teach me some of the tricks he knew," she said. "He'd go on and on about how he was looking forward to seeing his little thief grow up and work alongside him."

Kate hesitated for a moment, closing her eyes briefly with small shake of her head.

"... And then one day, only mom came back, and just didn't go back out again," Kate said. "It took me a while to figure things out, but their band's encampment had gotten raided by guards and dad... well, he didn't make it."

The Weavile craned her head back, pawing uncomfortably at her shoulder as she continued on.

"She... didn't exactly adjust well after leaving the game," Kate murmured. "And I guess given my own luck in life, that I kinda take after her. Mom didn't like me taking after dad's business and I tried a lot of things to help her get by. But in the end, it was just too much and she had to push me out of the proverbial nest early."

The Weavile shook her head and cave a small smile back.

"But there's not a whole lot I can do about that, other than mope. The future might not be written, but the past sure is," she said. "That's why I try to live in the present and focus on worrying about things in here and now... like this!"

With an impish smile, the Weavile curled her toes in against Cabot's side, tickling him with them once again.

 

[Virgil134]

"Hey!"

Cabot burst into laughter as Kate tickled his side once again. Despite his cheery demeanor, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Kate. His own parents meant everything to him and he could only imagine how awful it would be to lose your dad at such a young age. Part of him wanted to stop and comfort Kate, but given that she was trying to change the topic by starting a tickle fight, he guessed she probably didn't want talk about it more right here and now. He supposed he could always comfort her later, and support her for now by going along and giving her exactly what she wanted.

"Well, you're not the only one who can play that game!"

The Rampardos grabbed Kate's ankle and pulled her towards him with one swift tug. Kate slid across the couch on her back, and with her stomach and sides now exposed, Cabot tickled her as hard as he could. Kate trashed around and howled in laughter, and after a short while, Cabot slowed down before stopping and shooting her a smug, teasing smirk.

"Ready to give up?"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate struggled for breath as she fought back laughter and wiped away a few stray tears from the corners of her eyes. The Weavile looked back up at the Rampardos, before shooting a determined smirk back.

"Heh heh. Give up?" she asked. "Cabot, who do you take me for?"

The Weavile leaned in to try and give a playful jab, only for Cabot to intercept her and pin her back down with another set of tickles.

She should probably be upset over how easily Cabot saw through her attempt to avenge the first tickling, but somehow, in spite of the bruise to her pride and her unrestrained laughter, she was pretty alright with things right now. It almost felt like a glimpse into a life she never had.

"... Cabot? Kate?"

The pair stopped and looked up to see Melanie and Pleo had gotten up from their places on the carpet, the pair looking down at them with puzzled, curious tilts of their heads.

"What are you guys doing?"

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot glanced at Kate, before giving Pleo and Melanie a sheepish grin.

"Just having some fun together."

"Oh! Can we join in too?" Pleo chirped.

"Heh, of course you can!" the Rampardos cheered. "It's still early in the afternoon, so maybe the four of us can even go do something fun together. Anything you guys like to do?"

Pleo paused in thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh! Oh! What if we go swimming at Treasure Town's beach?"

"Huh?"

Cabot blinked as Pleo gave him a starry eyed look, apparently already getting excited over his idea. The Rampardos shifted uneasily at the thought of going into the water for fun, and hesitantly spoke up.

"I mean... I guess we technically could... Though we could also just stay on the beach, and-"

"Swimming! Swimming! I want swimming!"

Pleo excitedly beat his wings, whipping up a gust of wind in the process that knocked over some nearby furniture. Cabot didn't pay attention to it as he began to squirm over the idea of spending the rest afternoon in water, prompting him to nervously look at Kate and Melanie for help.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate curled up her muzzle into a smug grin, pointing back with a claw.

"I mean both Weavile and Rampardos can learn Surf, Cabot," the Weavile teased. "Maybe we should just make it into a learning opportunity."

"I'd like to go swimming too!" Melanie cheered. "The water at the beach is really cool and refreshing!"

 

[Virgil134]

"B-But-!"

"Yay! This is gonna be so much fun!" Pleo cheered.

The Lugia nosed at Cabot expectantly as he looked up and begrudgingly went along with his friends for an impromptu day at the beach. Even if he could hopefully talk Pleo and Melanie into making the actual swimming part of it short, or just stay on Pleo while they were in the water, he couldn't help but feel some satisfaction at the newfound closeness he'd developed with Kate.

<><><>​

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

The week after the defeat of the Eternal Blacklight came and went faster than Kate imagined. Before she knew it, it was nearly the final evening, and she had sprawled out along the couch with Cabot, pinning her head up against him to rest as the TV droned on in the background.

She still didn’t fully understand how the device worked. But the show that day was some sort of swashbuckling tale following pirates outwitting a chasing navy in the pursuit of a cursed treasure. Guess that was as much a sign as any that Cabot was ready to go home. Except something about the show didn’t quite seem right for a goody-goody type like him…

"So, different perspective aside, any of this seem accurate to you at all?” the Weavile teased. “It's not really that easy to kick you navy types around, is it?"

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot didn't respond at first and continued to silently watch the Pokémon on the screen, before slowly shifting his gaze down towards the floor as he absentmindedly spoke up.

"Yeah, we... usually do better than that," the Rampardos murmured.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate tilted her head at Cabot's reaction. She'd expected him to get flustered or make some sort of crack back about how the pirates in the show were just lucky. But something about him seemed troubled, so maybe it made sense to figure out what was going on.

"Something the matter?" the Weavile asked. "I mean, I know that I needle other 'mons from time to time, but I wasn't expecting you to react like that."

 

[Virgil134]

"Huh?"

Cabot blinked and looked down at Kate for a moment, before a smile formed on his face.

"Oh, it's not that," he insisted. "I mean, you know I can handle a little bit of teasing."

The Rampardos poked at Kate's side as his smile turned into a smirk. It didn't take long however for his smirk to mute as his gaze drifted away once again, prompting him to let out a sigh.

"It's just that... even if we're not leaving until tomorrow, it will soon be our final evening here," Cabot said. "The final time that we, Pleo, and Melanie are together like this."

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Kate fidgeted and stifled a laugh at Cabot's poke. After a moment to let his words sink in, she pinned her ears and shook her head with a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I didn't think this day would come so quickly either," she said.

The Weavile sat up, and turned to face her Rampardos housemate. It was still weird knowing that they wouldn't see each other again in a long while, if potentially ever. But even so...

"Still. You don't wanna spoil the last evening together with the kids by putting them in a downer mood, do ya?" she insisted. "Make the most of it."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked at Kate for a moment, before giving her a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," the Rampardos said. "Best to have as much fun as we can, especially with that little surprise we still got for Pleo and Melanie."

Cabot paused in thought as he put a finger to his mouth, seemingly contemplating something, when he hesitantly spoke up again.

"Actually... shall we just give it to them now?" he asked. "I know we were originally gonna wait until later in the evening, but we might as well do it now, get dinner, and then just spend the rest of the evening having fun with them."