From the Vast (Pokémon Fanfiction)

*bwoOSH!*

In an instant, the empty, snow-covered path leading into the Lillywood forest suddenly got much busier. Aria almost collapsed after her long-range Teleport, spending the next minute or so just catching her breath. Lumi only needed a moment to grab his bearings before standing guard for his coworker.

Thankfully, the nearby pillar of smoke still held a firm grasp of the attention of any humans around.

Once Aria had recovered enough to walk again, she couldn’t resist investigating the sight either. Her mind complained in exhaustion as she disguised herself once more, this time just to check what happened to Anne’s former house from up close.

The once-imposing, multi-story building was little more than a heap of charred rubble. Everything but bricks had been reduced to ash and misshapen metal, with enough burning violence to damage the walls of the nearby homes. She had no way of knowing if this destruction was truly her fault—an unknown she’d end up taking to her grave. Gleaming that nobody but the former homeowner had died in the inferno soothed her conscience a bit, but it could only do much—many still got hurt, after all.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter.

With a sendoff comprising a few more malicious thoughts towards the monster of a human that had brought it upon himself, and silent prayers aimed at the innocents hurt while tending to the inferno, they could get going.

“^It’s all rubble now. Thankfully, nobody else died in that explosion, though a few got hurt,^” she admitted.

“Good riddance, eh?” Lumi snarked.

“^...yeah. Good riddance.^”

Right as Aria dispelled her disguise and was about to finally head home, she felt a tiny mental presence behind her. She flinched as she glanced over her shoulder, hoping that she wouldn’t end up having to daze a human for real today. Instead, she only saw a small Magnemite hanging down from these cables that spanned the whole settlement, unknown in their purpose.

Staring right at them.

“^Let’s go.^”

Even if the bags Olive left them with didn’t weigh that much, Aria appreciated any relief after the strain of the day. Lumi gladly took one bag in his maw before racing ahead—though at the price of having to be explained what in the world did he walk in on earlier.

As unenthused as the Gardevoir was about having to spell it out for the hound, the idea was bearable when framed as keeping the other scouts on the same page. With any luck, they’d find a few of them along the way to spread the news to—the sun was setting, after all, time for a shift change.

With each step closer to her home, Aria’s plan for the rest of the day grew much more defined. Drop the bag off at the clinic, catch others up to date about Anne’s situation, plan a meeting tomorrow to discuss their next step, race riiiiight back home, and spend the next week catching up on her rest after the bedlam of today.

Or, at least, that’s what she wished she could do. Even if they were sure that Anne posed no threat and that nobody would come looking for her anytime soon, her future was still undecided. Hopefully, Olive could help them return the girl to humanity somehow in the long term—

…

Before the Gardevoir could continue weaving her plans, the stray, overheard thoughts snapped her right out of that train of thought. Worries about the human were expected by now, but thinking about her and Ember in one breath was something that only Autumn or the scouts should be doing. Someone had spilled it to Holly or Sol, didn’t they?

At least, that’s what she hoped. Deep inside, Aria felt a building awareness that this wasn’t quite it, hastening her steps as she approached the clinic. Dread built into her by the moment, especially with all the noise and attention and—

Marco!?

The Gardevoir didn’t wait an instant longer at sensing her brother’s injuries. She Teleported the remaining distance over, spontaneously appearing beside his bed and startling the nearby healers. She felt even woozier afterwards, but it didn’t matter. Marco was hurt, and so was Autumn, the two resting on adjacent beds she had suddenly found herself in between.

“^Marco, what hap—^”, Aria tried to ask, the answer reaching her mental senses before she even finished forming her question. Anne’s and Ember’s auras laid still, meshed together on the other side of the nearby wall. Warm, loving, unconscious.

“Uuughhhh... yeah,” Marco grunted. His pained voice made his sister try banishing some of his strain with a Calm Mind—only for the Gallade to shake his head at sensing her attempt, “D-don’t, I’ve never felt this sore in the brain. There was just so much all at once...” he muttered, scrunching his expression at his aggravated headache.

Before Aria could ask for an elaboration, she was shoved aside by the healers to get better access to her brother. She backed up a couple of paces and took a seat on the empty part of Autumn’s bed. The Indeedee explained instead as her son-in-law drank his medicine, “Seems our Ember was indeed Anne’s Ember, and they really loved each other as much as her words had us think. But… Ember had any memory of Anne erased from her mind at some point, and helping her remember was so intense that it wiped all of us, hah.”

“I’m still seeing some of their memories when I close my eyes... gods, it’s such a weird sensation,” Marco added after finishing the bitter drink with a gulp and a dry heave. He pushed through his aching and sat up, involuntarily leaning forward.

The explanation only raised more questions, all of them the kind Aria didn’t like one bit. One of them stood out in particular; she narrowed her eyes as she asked, “^Erased?^”

Both Marco and Autumn firmly nodded, well aware that their response would prompt a question about the perpetrator. The Gallade didn’t have a certain answer, but his admission of what happened was almost that. “Yep. I don’t know who did it, but… considering how Cinder reacted to me even bringing the girl up when talking to Ember, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some meddling involved on her end.”

A closer look at Marco’s front wordlessly explained what he meant by ‘reacted’. Aria’s anger spiked at her brother having been treated that way, leading Autumn to scramble over and pat her shoulder; dissolving any emotions before they grew even more intense. Cinder would answer for what she’d done. The Gardevoir was of half a mind to walk over and interrogate the vixen there and then—at least, before her sore muscles reminded her of their existence.

“Don’t know if I would trust her at all right now. The way she talked about all this, you’d think she was just about ready to come in and incinerate Anne with her own paws,” her brother continued.

Scratch that; maybe her muscles could wait—

Before Aria could storm out to interrogate a proficient fighter on a subject that they were both emotional about, a familiar presence entering the tent perked her up. “^Sprout?^”

The Decidueye was no less baffled at the bustle than the Gardevoir herself was minutes earlier. She wasted no time walking over as she tried to piece the situation together herself, arriving at nothing more than vague concern. And then, very concrete concern at seeing the state of the family she’d been long-time friends with. “Aria, Marco, what’s all this, what’s up with the girl?”

“^She and Ember, well...^” Aria started, having a hard time putting words to her mental image of the situation. Without thinking twice, Sprout decided to see for herself, walking over to the entrance of Anne’s room and peering in. Her gasp convinced the Gardevoir to do the same soon after.

Ember’s head rested on Anne’s chest; her body language curled up and small as it kept the bulk of her weight off of her friend’s torso. Her arms were wrapped around the human as Anne’s one good arm held the vixen in return. Their mental strain was clear, but at least they weren’t burdened with the pesky consciousness that would badger them with pain.

“A-are they friends?” Sprout asked in surprise.

“Yeeeeep. They grew up together, and from what I picked out from the flood, were really protective of one another,” Marco clarified. As heartwarming as the sight was, it only raised more questions—sure, Anne was innocent, but what would happen with her and Ember now?

Or at least it did for Aria; Sprout seeming to have them all already figured out, “Oh goodness... well, time to look around for a home for her in here, hah!”

Sprout’s cooed exclamation had both psychic siblings think through that idea. Aria couldn’t deny that the idea of Anne staying here for a while wasn’t as outlandish as it had been earlier in the day. At the same time, ‘a while’ wasn’t the same thing as forever, and something told her that Ember would be opposed to anything less.

“Won’t this room suffice until she can get a move on?” Lumi asked, his not-as-gruff-as-usual voice catching his coworkers’ attention as he stepped out of the side chamber. Aria spotted the bag he’d been given; put away in the small space. His expression perked up as he noticed her arrival, speaking up, “Ah, here you are. Figured that you wouldn’t know what happened here, either.”

Sprout had to use her entire willpower to not blow up at the Luxray at the idea of rushing the girl out of here. Aria was glad to make that task easier for her, by offering her an even-worse subject to be angry about, “^No, Marco figured it out while we were gone. Though, considering that the only reason we didn’t know about this earlier was because someone erased Anne from Ember’s memory, we still have much to discuss.^”

The Decidueye’s glare narrowed at hearing that, the implication not exactly difficult to see. Aria’s hand on her shoulder was the only thing that kept her from flying out right now and threatening to turn the fox into a pin cushion if she didn’t explain herself.

“Wait—you mean Cinder?” Lumi asked.

“^We can’t know for certain Lumi, but it sounds like it, yes.^”

“Let me handle this and I’ll have it figured out in no time…” the Decidueye muttered.

“^Sprout, please, I don’t want you to get hurt over this. Just a question had her blow up at Marco earlier today,^” Aria pleaded. Her words had thankfully managed to chill Sprout’s enthusiasm—not even her zeal at the little ones being mistreated was enough to push her towards risking her own life on this. It did make her much angrier, though, making her walk out of Anne’s room to express her anger in a much louder way without waking the sleeping kids up.

“I can only imagine what she’d do if she saw this, then. Perhaps we ought to keep an eye on her for now, just in case?” the Luxray asked. As valid as the concern was, Aria did a double take at it coming from him all people. She blinked at him in utmost confusion as he flatly stared back at her, growing increasingly baffled at the Gardevoir’s astonishment. “What?”

“^No, nothing, just... yeah, that’s a good call. Sprout—^”

“On it.”

Without waiting for any elaboration, the Decidueye bolted out of the healers' tent. As everyone else hoped she’d be alright, Autumn broke through the tension and spoke up, taking advantage of the pause of the scout chat to put voice to her curiosity, “So~, what’s all this stuff that you brought with yourself, Aria?”

Both the Indeedee and the Gallade were eyeing the very human bag. Its material was as colorful and shiny as its contents were obscured by a large layer of dark, fur-like clothing. It left a lot to the imagination, including how their sister and daughter got her hands on any of it to begin with.

“^These are things for Anne. The human that was looking for her turned out to be someone who knew and cared for her a lot, even if she couldn’t give her a home herself. She let us know what items to take for her, especially the weirder human ones for human needs. Clothes, something they call ‘books’ with a ton of writing, art supplied, and something for hygiene, though she didn’t elaborate on what it was,^” Aria explained.

Autumn wasn’t sure which part of that answer to ask about first—the human that helped them out, or the nature of the items in this funky bag. Before she could speak up, Marco cut her off, addressing the obvious concern, “Don’t worry mom, Aria wiped all this from her memory.”

“^Y-yeah.^”

The tiny bit of hesitation in Aria’s affirmation wasn’t lost on either Marco or Lumi. Before they could prod that subject, though, Autumn followed up with her actual question, “That’s not what I’m curious about. What do you mean that human couldn’t give Anne a home? Did she not have the space, or…?”

“Oh space she had plenty.”

“^It’s not about space mom, it’s... it’s their laws from what I understood. They prevented her from that because Anne still had a living family, even if a terrible one.^”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, the things we’ve seen... B-but, what do you mean, Anne was being borderline tortured in there! They can’t be saying that the hell she’d been through is preferable to her living with a friend!” Autumn pleaded.

“^I think that’s exactly what they’re saying, mom.^”

The Indeedee didn’t respond, too busy switching gears to calm herself down at the harrowing revelation. The human world had just grown even more disgusting, and her resolve to help Anne out even more unbreakable. No matter how unthinkable the things she’d need to do to ensure her safety were for the rest of the village.

“If that’s the case, then I’m not letting her step back into that terrible world ever again,” Autumn asserted. Lumi rolled his eyes at her steadfastness, not expecting it to last.

Before he could put a snarky voice to that attitude, though, a chirped out cry from the clinic’s entrance caught their attention instead, “Cinder’s not in the village.” Sprout’s previous boldness had mellowed out to nervous uncertainty, even if accompanied by the same cross expression from earlier.

“^What do you mean?^” Aria asked.

“She ran out of her den into the woods earlier. I didn’t follow her, but can circle back and—”

“^No, I don’t think that’s necessary.^”

As angry as Aria had been and still was at Cinder, hearing about her having run elicited the tiniest flicker of sympathy in her in response. Even if it was immediately dwarfed by the anger at the knowledge of what she’d almost certainly done to Ember.

The real question was, what would she do now that her jig was up? The minds of everyone gathered ventured in vastly different directions. Anything from attempting to take out her wrath on the human girl, to… trying to permanently escape accountability for what she had done.

“Someone’s gotta keep watch on her, then,” Marco suggested. His idea wasn’t disagreeable in the slightest, but the details were when it got very difficult.

“^She’s strong enough to pick up on someone following her. If she senses someone, she’ll likely feel cornered and lash out at them,^” Aria argued. Her counterpoint preemptively chilled Sprout’s enthusiasm, but she wasn’t the only one who could be entrusted with that task.

“Even a dark type?”

“^No, Lumi. You know as well as I do that Rose and stealth don’t mix whatsoever, and I wouldn’t feel safe for Ruby in case she slipped up and let herself be spotted.^”

“I could watch over Anne, then,” Sprout suggested.

“^Are you sure, Sprout?^”

“Why not, eh? Worried about me holding my own against Cinder if she showed up?”

“If it got to throwing moves, I’ve no doubt you’d win, dear. But if it ever gets to that point, then that’s already too late, isn’t it?” Autumn explained, her concern giving the proud owl a pause. She had no choice but to agree with it, sighing as she grumbled into her down. Combat was one thing, but while she had evolved into being a ghost, her talents for misdirection paled in comparison with the rest of that type.

“You’re right, ugh. Hmm... guess that leaves Cypress, don’t it?” the owl asked, defeated.

“^Mhm. Sprout, if you could—^”

“On it.”

As the Decidueye stepped out into the steadily growing night, the dim, orange light of the sunset’s dying breath briefly lit up the entrance to Anne’s room. The healers counteracted the dark soon after with a couple candles and a dim Will-o’-Wisp, but everyone’s bedtime was coming—and it was coming fast.

“I suppose any further discussion can wait until the morning, now that we have someone to look after them?” Lumi suggested. Both psychic siblings agreed to his point with a nod, a quiet wince leaving Marco as he moved his head.

“^Yeah. See you in the morning Lumi, I’m gonna wait for Cy to get here and relay what we know so far to her.^”

“Sounds good. See you all in the morning, then. I’ll pass on the news if I find anyone along the way—imagine everyone will want to chime in on this.”

With another scout’s departure, the tent grew increasingly quiet as most of the patients settled in for bedtime—a group that notably didn’t include Marco. Instead, the Gallade tried to pick himself up, only for Maple to come right over and swat the idea out of his head. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, taking him off-guard.

“Home? Got my duties tom—”

“Oh, no no no, I do not think so. You’re not going anywhere like this, Marco. You can barely stand up, and we need to swap the dressings on your burns, anyway,” the Leavanny asserted.

“Come on, Maple—”

“No, you come on Marco. You’re in no state for anything but resting right now, and for a few days at that. Besides, you helped Ember out from what I’ve heard. You’ve earned a break.”

“^She’s right, you know,^” Aria chided, her words making her brother grumble and sit back down. He was still opposed to the idea of taking a break, growing increasingly annoyed at Aria’s quip. She didn’t know why that was, but she wanted to do something about it all the same, walking over to his bed before sitting down beside him. She passed him a smile he couldn’t see, but which he could sense all the same. “^What’s wrong, Marco?^”

Her discreet words had no immediate impact. At least, none beyond making the feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment peek out of the cracks in his well-composed mental facade, weakened by his pain and strain. Aria might not have gotten an immediate answer, but she knew what she had to do all the same. One arm carefully wrapped around her brother, avoiding the burned spots, before pulling him closer. The Gallade didn’t resist, or even react beyond a small grimace creeping onto his face.

“I-I should be out and helping, a-and not licking my wounds...” he mumbled, barely audible.

His sister still noticed; her embrace only grew tighter. “^But you’ve already helped a ton today! I can only imagine how grateful both Ember and Anne will be towards you once they wake up.^”

Aria’s point plunged Marco into a longer silence as he leaned forward. After staring at the floor for a while, he finally got to the crux of the issue, “You’ve been helping e-even more, and you don’t have t-to rest...”

The Gardevoir was taken aback, unsure how to interpret his words before feeling another pang of inadequacy resonate through her brother. She held him even tighter at that, pressing her head into his.

“^I wasn’t on the receiving end of a Fire-type’s outburst, and didn’t have to sift through enough memories to leave me incapacitated. It’s not a competition, Marco, my contributions don’t diminish yours. And, besides, I think that between the two of us, Ember in particular will be much, much more thankful towards you~.^”

As much sense as his sister’s words made, they still felt like excuses in his favor, deep down. He had a hard time shaking that unpleasant sensation off, curling up more while his sister patiently held him.

“^I mean it, Marco,^” Aria reassured.

“I-I know, it’s just...”

Thankfully, Aria had a good guess on what exactly ‘it’ was here. Their breaths synchronized as she held him, the mental words that followed beaming with reassurance, “^You’ve changed several people’s lives for the better today Marco, you deserve all the rest in the world after something like that. We’ll keep this place safe while you recover. You just gather your bearings and accept your positive impact on the world.^” The affirmation chipped away at the Gallade’s composure, but it took until the admission that followed to fully break it down, “^I’m so proud of you, Marco.^”

The knight reached up to embrace his sister as tears welled in the corner of his eyes. And then, once Autumn had joined in on their affection, comforting him from the other side, the dam finally burst, wetting his cheeks. “I’m p-proud of you, too...”

As he processed his emotions, Aria began to pet her brother next to his crest. The gentle expression of affection might’ve grown much less common as they grew up and evolved, but it was just as effective as back when he was a lil’ Ralts being comforted by his big sister. His hug grew that much tighter as he calmed down, his self-worth and today’s accomplishment finding increasingly fertile mental ground on which they could settle on and take root. It was liberating; it was exhausting, making the offer of rest feel more justified by the moment.

“^Love you,^” Aria whispered.

“L-love you too. Sorry for—”

“^Anytime, Marco. This is what big sisters are for, isn’t it~?^” she chuckled.

“Heheh, y-yeah...” Marco admitted.

“^Gonna be calling it a day?^”

“I-I think so, yeah. Thank you.”

“^You’re welcome, bro. Sleep well.^”

With a couple more pats on the back, the siblings detached themselves from each other. Autumn likewise scrambled off the bed to let her son lay down; Aria’s telekinesis pulled the covers over him before he could even reach over. As much as he grumbled at that, and at the pets that followed, he appreciated them more than his sister could ever know.

With the tent’s main chamber falling into slumber, ever-busy healers aside, Aria saw fit to spend the rest of the downtime in Anne’s temporary room. Once she’d moved the bag of human stuff over, Autumn followed along with her. The sparse moonlight aside, the room was completely dark. It was only barely enough to make out the two sleeping girls, but it was all Aria needed. A smile crept to her face as she walked over to their bed, ruffling their heads in their sleep as she applied a bit of Calm Mind to hopefully prevent them from waking up in too much pain.

“What do you think is gonna happen to her, Aria?” Autumn asked, hushed words putting the Gardevoir in a pensive mood. It was a question she wished she had anywhere near a confident answer to.

“^I was already thinking we could bring up everything we know up to the Elders tomorrow, together with what Cinder did, and... decide on what will happen to her.^”

“By one of your fancy votes, eh?”

“^Mhm. I... I imagine most scouts would be supportive of her staying here for as long as is necessary once we explain everything. What I’m more concerned about is how many of the Elders we’ll sway,^” Aria shuddered.

“Can’t you just outvote them?”

“^Yes, we can, but with just thirteen votes, having three of them vote against Anne, no matter what we say, doesn’t leave a lot of room for error. Hell, you can add in Lumi and make that four for all intents and purposes.^”

That indeed was a much scarier thing to consider. Autumn walked up to her daughter as she chewed through the dilemma, almost bumping into Aria’s leg in the dark. “Ana has always felt reasonable enough in that regard. Winnie... yeah, unlikely. Celia...” the Indeedee trailed off as she considered the final Elder, ever difficult to predict.

The Primarina was by far the most exotic member of the trio, with nobody else in the village having ever seen or even heard of her kin. It was rare to see her just making her way around, rarer still to hear her silken voice. The few times she spoke, though, she tended to be the kindest Elder. She was also the most experienced with some of the worst of humanity. The missing fins, fingers, and the many scars adorning her body after having been forced to perform to humans’ amusement was testament to that fact enough.

Aria considered her chances, dismissing Winnie and Celia entirely and focusing entirely on Ana. The possibility of maybe swaying one vote wasn’t particularly reassuring, but it sure beat having that one vote aimed in the opposite direction. Now, to come up with something to convince that Torkoal with—

“And all that would accomplish would be letting her stay here, kept at arm’s length from the rest of the village, wouldn’t it?” Autumn cut in, distraught. Aria nodded with a sigh. With how uncertain even that felt like, a better fate for the girl might as well have been a pipe dream.

One that Autumn was willing to fight for.

“That’s—no, I’m not settling on that. I don’t agree to making her out to be some sort of nuisance we’ll benevolently put up with, not a child!” she shouted.

“^Mom!^”

A pang of guilt shot through her as the sleeping girls shuddered in their shared rest. They calmed down soon after, letting her breath a sigh of relief, “I’m sorry, it’s just—”

“^Shhh, it’s alright mom.^”

Autumn gave her daughter a look before chuckling at her own weapon being used against her, relenting soon after. She continued, “I don’t want her to be tolerated; I want her to be accepted. I doubt Ember will appreciate her friend being treated like an ongoing issue that will eventually leave her again, either.”

The very idea had the Indeedee have to hold back a few tears, the mental gash at having witnessed Anne and Ember part ways from both perspectives simultaneously still very raw. The mere thought of forcing them to relive it made her want to throw hands, physical and psychic alike.

“^I—I want that too, but I’ve no idea how we’d go about that. People are gonna have questions. Where would she even stay,^” Aria tried to ask.

“With us!” Autumn snapped back. She kept her raised voice firmly in the whisper range this time, stunning Aria as effectively as with her earlier, louder comment.

“^What—^”

“At our burrow. With us. In our house. However you want to say it. We’ve got plenty space even in the kids’ room, things are sized right for her, we can talk with her even while she’s still learning the language,” the Indeedee explained. On a logistical level, her suggestion made all the sense in the world—there wasn’t another dwelling in the entire village better suited for a human than theirs.

But it still left so many issues.

“^What if the kids object to that? Or Garret, or Riddick, once he snaps out of his hibernation. What if it won’t be right for her in the end—^” Aria argued.

“That’s what asking is for! Besides, knowing that it’s either this or her being forced to return to the human world will help sway them as well.”

“^That just feels like manipulation.^”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Autumn asserted.

“^What about everyone else being opposed to her staying?^”

“I’m sure opposed to Cinder ever setting another paw in here again and you won’t catch me protesting her right to safety. Not out loud, at least.”

As much as the addendum made Aria chuckle, she remained unconvinced. Autumn stroked her chin as she tried to come up with something more persuasive—and it was the concept of persuasion that sparked her next idea. The chuckle in the dark made Aria worry about what idea had hit her mom this time—

But before either she or the shorter psychic could speak up, they felt a particular chill in the air. It made them look over the entrance to the side room as Autumn whispered, “Cypress?”

Right as they were about to look at the window, both women felt a cold tentacle being placed on their shoulder, shivering as the aforementioned ghost spoke up, “Present...”

The Mismagius’ drawn out, whispering voice may not have brought any curses with it, but it was still unnerving in the dark. They chuckled, floating in front of the psychics before continuing, “Apologies, I could hardly resist...”

“^I’m aware, don’t worry. Thank you for being here Cy.^”

“Oh, it’s no problem. With how incensed Sprout was, I gathered it was something important. And... I think I’m feeling more ‘Mr. Cypress’ today, if that’s alright...”

“^Of course, Cypress. And yes, it is important. We wanted to ask you to watch over them tonight,^” Aria asked.

With how quirky the Mismagius was, seeing him be genuinely surprised was rare—and that was on top of just how uncommon it was to see him in general. His duty of stirring up chaos on the other end of the woods to distract human attention away from their village was an important one. It also resulted in him spending entire days at a time away from home. It made the dumbfounded look at his face even more precious as he took in the two souls holding together on the bed, “Oh... I am hardly certain which of these two I ought to be more surprised at...”

“^Right, you’ve been away for the past few days. The human’s name is Anne. Sprout found her gravely injured on the outskirts of the village, and we helped patch her up. And, as we later realized, it turns out that her and Ember have been long-time friends, but Ember couldn’t remember because someone erased the memories of Anne,^” Aria explained.

The ghost didn’t react to the rundown in any overt way. Instead, he leaned in closer to the sleeping duo as the wispy extensions on the front of his body glided over the girls’ shoulders with a gentle, chilly touch. Their intertwined fates were clear to sense. “Remarkable... I assume that someone is Cinder, then...?”

“^That’s what we’re suspecting, yes. She ran away from the village earlier today. We want you to keep watch for her in case she tries to hurt Anne overnight, and to incapacitate her if she shows up.^”

Cypress finally acknowledged Aria’s words with a slow nod and a quiet mumble. His yellow eyes closed as he whispered protective incantations. Both psychics felt the air in the room shift at his Lucky Chant, but not in a way either of them could narrow down. “It’d be my pleasure...”

“Thank you, Cypress. I still hope there’s some grave misunderstanding underlying Ember’s memories being erased, but Cinder running away makes it harder and harder to believe that...”

“You’re welcome dear Autumn. I... do feel compelled to ask about what shall happen to our dear Anne here...”

“^It’s... up in the air, we’ll see tomorrow. Though... you do tend to mess with human kids her age sometimes, right?^”

“I merely appear where I’m being looked for~. But, correct, I’ve run into many kids her age. Tricky for striking the right balance between not being scary at all and being too terrifying...”

“^In the event she’d end up staying here for good... do you think she could pose any risk to anyone?^” Aria asked, ninety-nine percent sure of the answer. With how difficult of a case they’d have to make for Anne, though, any further bit of reassurance was invaluable.

“She’s no trainer, so no. Frankly, I would be more worried the other way around...” Cypress mumbled. The phrasing had both women look up at him with concern, making him elaborate soon after, “The price of teaching everyone that humans are all scary monsters, and that we hide from them because of the monstrosity, is that some may start to believe that. Especially the little ones…”

The mental imagery of someone attempting to ‘protect’ themselves from Anne sent a freezing shiver down Aria’s spine. It made her walk over to the bed and stroke the human’s hair out of a protective impulse.

“Not something we can’t fight against, thankfully,” Autumn reassured.

“^How so?^” Aria asked, her concern palpable for her mother-in-law, emboldening the Indeedee further.

“We can start sowing the seeds of the idea of her staying and work away at any doubts that arise. I can bring it up with the kids tomorrow and try to work through any issues they might have. Frankly, we’d just need more voices to contribute...”

“Pragmatic. I like it...”

Out of everyone in the village that could contribute to something like that, there was one voice in particular that had both the volume and the reach to be of help here—and it was one both psychics thought of at the same time, “^Holly!^”

“I’ll speak to her tomorrow. I hope she’ll be receptive.”

“^Oh you have no idea, mom. Who else...^” Aria wondered.

“Jovan feels like the type to love a heartwarming story to share...”

“^Like sister, like brother, heh. Yeah, him too.^”

“I’ll bring it up when leaving Bell under his care. Anyone else?” Autumn asked. No more candidates immediately came to mind for anyone present. Perfectly understandable considering the hour of the day; the fact underlined by the Gardevoir’s held-in yawn.

“That seems like a plan enough for the time being—and you seem like you need rest, dear Aria...”

“^Y-yeah, it’s just...^”

As much as their plan was coming together, the Gardevoir had a hard time shaking off the worry at the possibility that nothing would work out and that Anne would end up tossed out into the snow to die. At that point, even the cruel act of wiping Ember’s memories of her friend once more felt reasonable, even if just to spare her the pain. It still disgusted her to even think about, though.

And to think she had threatened someone with it mere hours earlier…

“Have you spoken with the girl already...?” the ghost asked.

“^Yes, we talked earlier. I tried to fool her into thinking this place was a human hospital, but it didn’t last. Eventually, I told her the truth, and thankfully she trusted me even despite having lied to her earlier.^”

“Then extend that grace to yourself...~”

That much she could do. Deep breaths worked away at the built-up anxiety inside her as she acknowledged the Mismagius’s words with a light bow, “^I will. Thank you, Cypress. Have a good night.^”

“Anytime... Oh, it would appear that your husband is approaching...”

The remark broke through both Aria’s and Autumn’s somber moods, replacing them with confusion at what Garret was doing here. They gave the sleeping girls one last glance before leaving the healers’ tent right as the Grimmsnarl turned the corner. If not for his fangs glistening in the moonlight, he would’ve been almost invisible at night.

“Honey?” he called out, squinting into the night.

“Yes, yes sweetie, we’re here!” Aria responded, switching to her physical voice. With how excruciatingly long the day had been, she longed for little more than finally getting some rest. And while this might not have been that, unless she were to sentence her husband to having to carry her back home, just holding him was enough to melt through much of the tension pent inside her—and inside him, too.

“We’ve all been so confused about what was going on with you all, got a bit worried... wait, where’s Marco?” the Grimmsnarl asked, concerned.

“He’s... in the healers’ tent. He got roughed up today, and they’re keeping him overnight just in case.”

The Grimmsnarl’s fanged grimace shifted just enough for his wife and mom to notice the concern it now conveyed. Aria answered his unspoken question as they all turned to head home, “We’ve... learned a lot about Anne today. Cinder wasn’t happy about Marco asking Ember about a potential connection between her and Anne. And then, it turned out she’d most likely erased Ember’s memories of Anne.”

“I-is he gonna be alright?” he asked.

“Thankfully, yes. It’s just some surface burns, and the healers took good care of him,” his wife answered.

That much was reassuring, at least. Garret held his wife close as they walked on, the worry about everything going on lately filling his mind. “Thank goodness. A-and what did you say about Ember and the human?”

“They used to be close friends, sweetie, and grew up together. Their... human family was absolutely wretched. Anne parted ways with Ember to keep her safe, and then ended up running away for her life, which then led to her crash and us finding her.”

“That’s... oh the deities…” he muttered, the idea of a family vile enough for a child to run away for their life making him feel deeply ill. He knew it was exactly that kind of family that he had hatched in before being rescued and eventually raised by Autumn, but… it was so much worse to hear it having happened to someone else.

It also made him want to hug his mom—which was what he then did. Autumn squeaked as she was suddenly lifted off the ground and into his arm, but her surprise gave way to affection soon after.

“The rest of the human world doesn’t seem to be any better for her in that regard. Her staying here for good would be for the best,” Aria continued.

“And I had the idea that our burrow would work well for that~,” Autumn added, making her son pause mid-step. The idea evoked so many mixed feelings inside him it felt impossible to even start untangling them all. To help a child, to pass the torch like that—it was euphoric to think about. But, at the same time, “Are you sure, mom? I—I don’t want her to live somewhere where she’d b-be scared again...”

Without their respective psychics, Aria’s and Autumn’s hugs were far from impressive in strength. They more than made up for that in how heartfelt they were, though; both women were more than happy to reassure the most important man in their lives. “You look mean at a glance, sweetie, but brush aside the top coat and you’re all honey. Her parents... looked reprehensible and acted so, so much worse. I’ve seen some of her memories, a-and they still make me ill to think about...” Autumn explained, getting the group moving again.

Garret nodded through his mom’s words, holding her tight as he got a grip on his breathing. Doubts and worries kept swelling inside his skull, but his wife was there for him. “That’s not something we’re deciding on here and now. Just... once it comes to that, once I have to stand up and plead Anne’s case in front of the Elders, I want to know that I’d be able to bring our burrow up as a place where she could stay and be safe. And that I don’t doubt one bit.”

The explanation made sense, though even just acknowledging that felt like agreeing to a massive commitment. He kept airing his worries as they got closer to their home, “Do you think we’re ready for another soul to be taking care of?”

“‘Ready’ in the sense of being prepared enough to start trying for another child? Probably not~. Ready in the sense of being able to provide a lost, traumatized soul with the safety she’d been lacking for so long, even if it includes some growing pains? Absolutely.”

It was an important distinction to make, sending a wave of fluster through Garret’s face. He only barely kept himself from lifting his wife off the ground with the hug that followed. “W-Well, you’ve interacted with her much more th-than I have so far. You probably know better, sweetie.”

“I hope that one day you’ll feel as confident in your ability to be the best dad she could ever wish for as I am~,” Aria smiled. As flustering as the previous remark was, this one was incomparably more effective. Before the Gardevoir knew it, she was swept off her feet and held tight, returning the embrace as they walked into the view of their burrow’s entrance. Decrepit as it looked, the stray rays of light escaping through the holes between the door and its frame betrayed its homeliness.

Alas, both psychics had to be lowered onto their feet so that they’d fit through the front door. As much as Garret wanted to resume holding them tight once they walked in, filling their stomachs with something yummy came first. The scene that awaited inside was an amusing one. The prospect of getting to keep playing even with it being dark outside left the trio of kids acting a bit hyper. They were in the middle of some play tussling, surrounded by their toys as their guardians walked down the stairs.

“Mom, where have you been!? A-and where’s Uncle Marco?” Cadence asked, the worrying she’d been masking with play finally showing itself—especially with Marco still absent. Without skipping a beat, she got up to her feet and bounded over to her guardians, needing some comfort of her own.

“We had a long, busy day, sweetie. I’m sorry for being gone for so long. Marco got injured during his duties, and is at the healers’ tent,” Aria explained, crouching to hug her little ones. The visible worry on both the Ralts’s and the Kirlia’s faces made her hold them that much tighter as Autumn comforted the flying scorpion just off to the side.

“Uncle Marco is hurt?” the Ralts asked.

“Yes Bell, he is. It’s nothing big, thankfully, but he needs a few days to rest it off,” his mom explained.

“Can we come and make him feel better?”

After all, smooches were the panacea for any ouchie as far as the tyke was concerned. Surely it would work here, too.

“I don’t see why not, I’m sure he’d really appreciate it sweeties~.”

Bell squeed at his mom’s reassurance, squirming in her arms. Just a few feet away, Cadence felt a wave of cheekiness come over her. She knew she’d get shot down, but maaaaaybe her mom was just about tired enough to offhandedly agree to her idea? She asked, “Oh, oh, oh—could we see Anne if we’re already gonna be at the clinic~?”

Aria had to stop herself from reflexively disagreeing. She and Autumn glanced at each other at the Kirlia’s question, before a playful, tired smirk crept on their faces. “...you know what~? Deal.”

The sudden gasp that left Cadence and Elric was almost loud enough to stir the Gligar’s dad from his hibernation. Aria broke into giggles at the group’s palpable excitement, with Bell following soon after—even if he still had no idea what the entire big human deal even was.

“Really!?” the Kirlia asked.

“Yep! She may end up staying in our village for a bit longer, and it’d be good for her to make some friends, don’t you think?”

As surprised as Cadence was at the unexpected one-eighty turn of her mom’s opinion on this, she couldn’t deny liking her current logic much, much more than the typical scout scaredyness from yesterday. She squealed, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Will we be able to play with her?” Elric asked, his question much more deserved despite him being no less excited. As he spoke, he scrambled over to hug his current guardian, warm to the touch in the shared glee.

“To an extent. She’s still injured, but I think you’ll all be able to figure something out~,” Aria explained.

While the two older kids were left satisfied, eager at the idea of sating their curiosities first hand, Bell’s mind wandered to the question he had earlier today. His small body wriggled with joy at getting to make a friend, but he had no idea what that friend looked like! “What color are humans?”

A tricky question to answer for how simple it was on the surface. Aria paused as her husband poured her and Autumn their portions of the dinner, the rich aroma relaxing her with her every breath. She explained the best she could, “Many colors, really. They’re like us with furless skin and hair on top of their head, but I’ve seen their skin be anything from dark brown to whitish pink, and their hair from black to yellow. Even saw one with pink hair a few months ago, but nobody else like that since, hah.”

“Maybe they were a really important human?” the Kirlia asked.

“I doubt it, Cadence; they didn’t feel any different to anyone else. How’s that for an answer, Bell~?”

The toddler had to think long and hard before the incomprehensible baby train of thought finally arrived at the Happy Feelings plaza, making him squeak as he held his mom closer, “Okay! I wanna meet Anne!”

“And you will, tomorrow. And now, all three of you are up way past your bedtimes~.”

The shared groan that left the tykes at her comment was music to Aria’s ears. With a bit of help from her psychics, she picked up the entire trio and carried them over to their room. Their excitement gave way to sleepiness as they were tucked into their shared bedding, and then—rest. For once, Aria wasn’t be far behind in that regard.

As overwhelming as tomorrow felt to think about, Anne believed in her. And, as she chewed through the lukewarm dinner, she was happy to earnestly share that belief. They’d figure something out.

Even if the Elders were about as likely to accept Anne with open arms as a Fire-type was to embrace a tidal wave, not even they could resist a good sob story. Far from the soundest argument in the world, but it was likely to sway at least one vote—and one vote was all it might take to seal the girl’s safety.

Half an hour later, when she was well on her way to dozing off, one thought in particular kept Aria warm and calm as she played the role of the big spoon. Her mind grew quieter with each passing moment, the mantra bringing peace to her and Anne alike,

She would deliver on her promise to Anne, no matter what.