Treasure Town ~ Sunny's Daycare

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa exchanged an awkward glance with Dave. More weird Cibus shit. She could take it on the chin most days, but she was anxious as it was.

"However this goes... I'll owe ya one," she told him, quietly.

 

[Dragonfree]

'Ancestral techniques'? Beds of straw? This sure sounded like some woo bullshit, but who was to say it wouldn't work in this place. He rolled his eyes a little before padding over to the other bed and sitting down on it. "Let's just see if this works."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa settled herself down, feeling a cold shiver down her spine. It was getting on for five years since she'd seen Jesse. He'd look more or less the same to her, she expected. She might not look much like her adolescent self to him.

"I'm ready, y'all. As I'll ever be."

 

[Namohysip]

"Then I'll be seeing you there," Buffet said, and as he spoke, his body evaporated into a cloud of twinkling lights. Sunny seemed to think nothing of it.

"Both of you, close your eyes and take steady, slow breathing. It's a lot like meditating. Once that's all ready, you should wake up somewhere for Buffet to guide you. This isn't going to be your standard ancestral instruction, so follow what he says and don't wander off. It's very easy to get lost out there." And then, with a friendly tone, she said, "But don't worry! It's perfectly safe as long as you don't wander off."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave frowned, but closed his eyes as instructed. Steady, slow breathing? Sure. 'Meditation'. This had the air of every dumbass 'spirit healing' or 'unlocking your inner peace' or whatever the fuck. This shit was supposed to let them talk to a dude from another world? He didn't know what was worse, the notion that he was actually trying this or the notion that he was now living in a world where this kind of thing might actually work.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

This was happening. No backing out now. Time to meet Jesse, confront him, ask him... for advice. Help. And where the fuck he'd been all these years.

She wasn't even sure whether he'd show up as a delphox or as a human.

"Let's get this over with," she growled.

 

[Namohysip]

"Good, that will do just fine. Now, let me get things ready here... O, great ancestors of--oh, wait. Sorry!" Sunny giggled. "Force of habit. Um, Buffet? Can you hear me...?"

The Pikipek migrated from the left tuft of hair to the right.

Something about Sunny's abode seemed darker than usual.

"Okay. They're ready," Sunny said.

Brisa and Dave would feel something at the center of their backs. Then, a tug, and--

<><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

"Ahh, it's so good to be out in the open again!" Buffet made a twirl and a flourish in the air as they headed just south of the main hustle and bustle of Treasure Town. "...Now, Cynthian, I want to warn you again that this trip down Spirits' Edge could lead to nothing, or it could lead to disappointment. You're ready for that, right? I do think it would be worth trying, of course, but... It is delicate. You never know what changed for someone since you last saw them, especially after how much time had passed."

Blissey Sunny was inside the building, tending to some of the younger kids for their mealtime.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian kept her gaze forward and nodded idly at Buffet's words. The hustle and bustle of pedestrian pokemon meshed into a blur in her eyes, and most of her mind fixated on the pounding in her chest.

"It's fine. Whatever comes of this, I'll just have to accept it." Cynthian said with a huff, gazing at the clouds drifting above.

When they got into the daycare, Cynthian glanced at Sunny with a faint smile. "Hello, Sunny. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, Cynthian! Good to see you! and you've grown!" Sunny grinned, practically beamed, but then tilted at Buffet. "Oh? Another visit to Spirits' Edge, then?"

"Indeed. Do you happen to have time?"

"Hmmm, almost. I just need to finish getting all of the kids eating, and--hey! Stop that!" And she went running into the depths of the daycare to stop one of the bigger kids from nibbling on a younger one.

"Why don't you get seated?" Buffet asked Cynthian, smiling.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Okay."

Cynthian exhaled a long breath as she sat on the chair. Her legs felt like soggy noodles, and her arms trembled even while she sat still. She could suppress the scent from her flowers, but her movements showed how nervous and afraid she felt.

"I thought you could already reach to other worlds on your own Buffet," Cynthian asked, staring at the wall ahead. "Did what happened to Worldcore leave a lasting effect on you?"

 

[Namohysip]

"I can," Buffet said, "but I can't bring others with me unless they're... well. You know. On their way out." He smiled nervously. "Sunny's strange ability has been a useful workaround for that, since it seems like she can help you... safely project into the beyond without too much trouble."

"And we're back!" Sunny said, emerging from her home. "Thank you for waiting! Are we ready to get started?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian slapped her face and exhaled a long breath. Her heart eased a bit, and she'd regained enough strength to stand without toppling over from the stress.

"I'm ready. Will this work just like what we did last time?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Just like before," Sunny confirmed, and Buffet drifted to the side of the room, preparing to do the same on his own.

The ritual happened again as per usual, with Sunny reaching out toward the cosmos and great ancestors to answer. And answer they did, soon with Cynthian feeling like she was floating away...

<><><>​

Buffet, looking like a constellation shaped like a Hydreigon, drifted toward Cynthian once she was formed well enough on the astral plane. "Hello, dear. Are you feeling alright? The same as before... But this time... get on my back. I'm going to be guiding you through--don't fall, now..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian felt light as a feather when her body formed. One prompted, she climbed onto Buffet's back and held onto his neck.

"This place feels different than when we ended up in the void lands," Cynthian said, the starry lights reflecting over her deep red eyes.

"How long will it take us to find her?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Well..." Buffet seemed uncertain. "I'll need some time to... search... for a bit, mmm..." There was something uncertain about the way Buffet was talking. "You two are related, right? Or, have spent a lot of time together prior...?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I am Mama Rosa's own rosehip." Cynthian took a deep breath and exhaled. "She passed away not long after I turned five years old."

"Why do you ask?" Cynthian grimaced with a nervous twitch. Just five years... and she could only remember two years of that at best.

 

[Namohysip]

"Helps to trace spirits back," Buffet said. "It's a little complicated, but it does make things easier... The time of passing is also helpful. Mmm... Hmmm..." He trailed off, frowning, making a few strange turns while they were traveling. He glanced back occasionally. "Tell me more about her. I'm... No, it's fine. Keep talking about her."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Okay." Cynthian let her mind drift, sifting through her memories of the past.

"Mama Rosa had always been a kind mother to me, but I remember that she had a bit of a quiet personality. Mama Zahra was the outspoken one of the pair," Cynthian said with a faint chuckle, and then she lightly tightened her grip around Buffet's neck. "She used to tell me all kinds of stories. Some were about her own life, others were tales she'd heard elsewhere. My favorite story is from when she fended off a group of nefarious krokorok bandits with her teammates, and the time she explored a newly discovered underground cavern that almost took a turn for the worse."

The more Cynthian talked about Mama Rosa, the more it sank in just how little she actually knew about her. Mama Rosa had lived over a hundred and fifty years, but what Cynthian knew of that history was a drop in an ocean. "Are we getting close?"

 

[Namohysip]

"We... should be..." Buffet frowned, looking around a few times, and then slowing his flight down. "...Mm... Cynthian..." He hesitated. They had been exploring for quite a while across the astral sea, and... "I don't... oh, how can I explain this..."