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~ CHAPTER 3 ~

<< That First Warm Touch >>

[BEGIN]

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Unknown Place

 

Unknown Date

 

Unknown Year

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

[RUNTIME-

2722500 WL/T]

 

[FAILURE REPORT:

 PIPELINE MOTOR FREQUENCY LOW AVERAGE

 

MATTER SET: 2(2-/-6) LOW DENSITY

 

COMMUNICATION NEXUS FAILURE

 

AWARENESS SHUTDOWN

RESPONSE SHUTDOWN

SET MEMORY SHUTDOWN

LT MEMORY SHUTDOWN

ST MEMORY SHUTDOWN]]

 

<< SWARM NETWORK RESTART >>

 

<< SET >>

 

My eyes FLARED open. My heart was THRUMMING. My head ached and pounded. My lungs SUCKED in a breath without my permission.

 

<<COMPLETE>>

<<RESET>>

 

The light burned my eyes. Any and all light sources burned and hurt to perceive.

 

My vision quivered, shooting left and right, back and forth- eyelids snapping shut tight at the searing pain. Had the nightmare passed?

 

“Piera-” I rasped the name aloud. “Has… morning come already…?”

 

<< ENTERING MONITOR CYCLE >>

 

My head pounded for a moment, in rhythm with my heartbeat, though it was a headache that thankfully subsided as my heart slowly calmed its pace.

 

But to my question…there was no answer.

 

I could hear…wind…a creak of wood. Marching.

 

And I felt…warm. I felt a weight atop me, and a softness underneath me.

 

Was…is it my bed?

 

I’d have shot up if I retained the strength. Even my rest hadn’t reduced the throbbing pressure from within my skull. A hand moved to massage my temple, as an eye cracked open to glance at my right-

 

The window showing calm wintry streets. The distant whistle of a steam engine. Piera’s hum as she gathered the laundry. Anything, I yearned.

 

“Hello…?”

 

There, indeed, was a window. Frosted. A peach color overtook the entirety of the world beyond.

 

But…

 

…I could see it, that image from my dream. Framed by a few leafless trees was the visage that city, spread out at the bottom  of that enormous valley.

 

And my immediate surroundings…this room.

 

It was quaint, perhaps. Pink wallpaper. Frilly pillows and a white blanket. Polished wood floors. Black iron bedframe. The furnishings were a degree nicer than many of the lackluster trimmings suggested, clearly making this the dressed up guest room of a poorer household.

 

But, most importantly of all…

 

…it wasn’t my room.

 

And I was totally alone.

 

The wind outside billowed, making the house creak. Even now, on the road just outside the window, I could see inhuman shapes in what looked like armor marching, with other beasts standing idly by the cobblestone road.

 

Still…here.

 

I looked to my left, drinking in the foreign bedroom, the foreign existence which I had been thrust into… and, with a glance to the window once more, I quietly uttered a laugh.

 

“Were it only so easy.”

 

An empty stare hung on my face, as I fell backward into the layer of pillows. No respect, no dignity. No safety. Not a sign of awakening, only those… soulless words ringing from the blackness. Shutdowns, failures… nothing. Not even the faux-comforting voice of the false God.

 

Nothing.

 

I drew the covers against my chest, and clutched them tight.

 

The pillows held me softly and warmly, though lying down let me notice once more the fur that covered the entirety of my body. The tuft of blue-highlighted hair sat lazily over my right eye…and a strange appendage sat under me…if I had to guess…likely a tail.

 

Just to complete the beastly form, I supposed.

 

It was sunset outside. The day coming to an end.

 

The question was…whose house was this?

 

Well, perhaps that was a silly question. Whose else could it be? That strange, dim-witted pink beast with the loud mouth, she was likely going home when we both crossed paths. And considering her place of occupation being a cave in the middle of nowhere…it’d hardly be a bad guess to assume this was Siranae’s house.

 

Was that really of any comfort, though? To be in her house of anyone’s.

 

I shifted, contorted to free myself of any fur tangling, or any appendages touching my legs. I had little success.

 

My head tipped to my right side, breathing the faint scent of wood near my bedside. The aroma seemed to linger heavily now that a snout had affixed itself to my face. It stung more than soothed.

 

Of course she brings me in, I muttered in the depths of my thoughts, not denying a moment to flaunt my error. To let hang the horrid signs of this reality, like the rest of them…

 

A grimace crawled over my face.

 

As if Siranae held an iota of malice to commit such an act. She seemed the dullest one aboard that carriage, I thought.

 

A weak groan.

 

Besides myself.

 

The silence was no mercy. I shuffled the covers off of myself, sliding onto my feet to rise- unsteady, uncertain, but still standing. Even for as nice as the room tried to be, the floorboards still squeaked, a light layer of yet-unswept dust greeting me the moment I touched down.

 

I… had work to see to.

 

The question was…where to first? Exiting? Waiting until someone collected me? Then where from there? Straight to the castle? That likely would not go well. It was rather odd to be asked after for a great task only to be dumped in a river and seemingly forgotten about.

 

In this silence, I collected my thoughts…nobody seemed to know of anything I knew. No Milan…no Lombardy…no Bologna nor Kingdom of Italy…like this was an entirely foreign land, worlds apart from home…even though everyone spoke the same language as me.

 

Just…didn’t write in the same language as me.

 

So…how to reconcile…everything that happened? How to possibly move forward from here? What cover story, if anything? Would making a fool of myself at every turn with every beast I spoke to really prove fruitful?

 

There, across from the bed, a pink door sat, decorated with carved artistic spirals…done by hand.

 

Out there…this strange world awaited me.

 

…there was no choice, was there? Not for a wretch, an otter-beast that couldn’t read as well as she could speak in this land of monsters. If this ‘Lippi’ should even wish me to see her, she has made no small task of it. And I’d play her fool no longer.

 

I mulled through my… survival. The bare lessons of enduring in adversity, those stray thoughts Piera had instilled in me. There was no certainty I’d eat and sup each night, if none could recognize nobility- there was no assured place to sleep. I’d remedy those issues soonest.

 

I paced to the pink door, almost falling into it, as my weary arms pried it open and gave me passage to… all that lay ahead of me.

 

Outside, as I expected, the quality of the furnishings took an immediate downward trend in quality. Wallpaper now gave way to painted clay. Which, while cutely hand-painted to include flowers and spiral vines, were hardly professional and were clearly a job done by the home owners themselves.

 

There, to my left, a stairway led down and out of the hallway I stood in. I could hear noises below…voices once more.

 

“Ohh, aye, we’ll keep an eye on your friend, Siranae.”

 

“Thank you, Papa…”

 

“It was a verry sweet thing that you did, om nou fumdi i cim gousi. To carry a girl so far even as she was raving…it is just like the old countrry. I am glad growing up Arcean did not harrden yourr hearrt.”

 

“Oh, Mama, it wasn’t so bad…she just seemed kinda…um…scared. And lonely. And that’s the last time anyone should be left by themselves…”

 

“Well…and it’s the middle of winter.”

 

“Oh…y-yeah, that too.”

 

…I lingered at the near-end of the crack-stained hallway, paw resting against a swirl of a flower petal as I braced myself to stand. My ears hung on the quiet chatter, preventing my ingress for a time.

 

…pitied. I should have figured she would treat me as such. I had looked the role of a helpless kit- played it for a time. Perhaps such role was more apt than I’d been willing to accept.

 

With a light wince, I lowered my paws down to the first stair, and lightly strolled downward with what stability I could muster…

 

As I slowly made my way down the creaking stairs, I saw the tops of their heads first. Three bests. One of them I recognized: pink with a tuft of swept back hair, red bows, a cute satchel, it was Siranae of course.

 

Before her, their backs to mr, were who I could only presume to be her parents. One of them was a pink beast similar to Siranae, only with more white and cream highlights, not to mention being taller. Beside them stood a creature that was nowhere near similar: a bizarre green lizard beast with what looked like a mushroom cap with two large red welts atop it.

 

It was hard to know what to even make of such a creature.

 

At once, Siranae perked up, as did the white-and-cream beast, their ears fluttering at the sound of my footsteps. Siranae didn’t smile, only looking worriedly.

 

However, the cream and white beast looked back, smiling at me.

 

“Well, how forrtunate is this? Yourr frriend has woken up!” The cream and white creature, in a feminine voice, spoke first. This must have been ‘Mama’. Her voice carried with it a similar accent to the foreman. “How happy I am to see you arre up and walking.”

 

“Ey…?” The green lizard turned his head, looking up. “Well I’ll be! Good morning to you, Addalay!”

 

Siranae didn’t say anything…yet.

 

I would have had something to spit out about the beasts- maybe ‘Papa’ at least, in a more vigorous state of mind. The sight of him bore little nuisance, at this rate.

 

“Good evening,” I said, softly and simply. ‘Twas a relief not to labor under a hackneyed accent any longer. “You are… Siranae’s family, I assume. I did not… expect to make your acquaintance.”

 

Once my twitching paws had reached the bottom floorboards, a reflex led into a curtsy, even if I lacked the gown to complete the gesture.

 

“I… can only extend my thanks, for the aid offered this day. I have yet to be shown such respect here…”

 

“Ohh, and she is so polite!!” The beast I knew as ‘Mama’ trilled excitedly, clapping her hands a little. “Oh but do forrgive my excitement! Sirranae does not make many frriends.”

 

“Friends?” Siranae squirmed, her voice very…very quiet.

 

“A friend is no enemy, and you don’t carry an enemy half a mile uphill!” The ‘Papa’ lizard said back, a seemingly…proud expression on his little beak.

 

“Oh you poorr thing. What made you faint so? Have you not been eating? Are you not drrinking?” The ‘Mama’ fussed and fussed, bounding a little towards the steps as though to hold my hand and guide me. “Sirranae would not say what happened.”

 

Siranae sucked in her lips, averting her eyes.

 

My body locked as the taller beast approached- she was not, at a minimum, so imposing as the other monsters that had loomed over my head this day. More thoughts swirled past my ears- sly ways to request bedding, food, passage to some land that was not so occupied…

 

None of it would come to my lips. My mind was fogged by the visage of Siranae’s… distress.

 

“It was… not a matter of my health, I did not mean to invoke such a concern.” I shifted on the spot, eyes drawn to the dirtied floorboards. “Siranae escorted me from her worksite, despite the spell of… confusion, and anger that had taken hold of me. I should think I was quite insolent to her, in fact, from the moment we spoke to the moment I collapsed,” I muttered, voice still a mite strained from the raving I’d done prior.

 

“She endured my misbehavior, and offered kindness throughout it. That I am here now speaks volumes of her… saintly goodwill.” I gripped the fur upon my arm, almost aching at the weakness I felt obligated to show before these beasts. “I cannot… state my treatment of her to be very friendly at all, let alone befitting a lady. And I… I apologize, Siranae.”

 

“Huh…?”

 

Siranae’s head lifted at the apology, a look of confusion crossing her face. Mama, meanwhile, looked positively ecstatic, her white and cream locks bouncing excitedly and looking at Siranae as well.

 

“But-” Siranae began.

 

“Well isn’t that kindly of you?” Papa cooed, his long tail lightly thumping on the wood floor. “And speaking so nicely of dear Siranae!”

 

“Saintly goodwill, did you hearr?” Mama said warmly. Siranae gripped her satchel strap.

 

“Well, you forgive her, don’t you, Siri?” Papa asked, looking back at the pink beast.

 

“Well, of course, bu-“

 

“Therre, then all is forrgiven~!” Mama cooed over Siranae, bouncing again over to her daughter. “Oh! Sirranae, perrhaps you would like to take Addylay out with you tonight?”

 

“I-?!”

 

“Yes yes, your nightly constitutions! You always go about them alone.” Papa insisted. “You could do with bringing a friend along…at least once.”

 

Siranae offered no protest but didn’t look convinced, either. She simply was clammed up for now.

 

…were beasts like them designed to perplex, to torment the civilized mind-? I had made no small display of how… unjust my behavior had been, and yet they doted and cooed with such a warmth as though I’d been the one carrying Siranae. It was…

 

Tiring. It did not stir the flame from the ashes, only spin soot where that flame had been, hours before. Tiring, to be shown kindness after such a gross display… but, perhaps more agreeable than the vicious laughter from the carriage.

 

My eyes darted between Siranae and the larger beasts. Something gripped at the bottom rung of my soul, but I had not presently the mental fortitude to evaluate it. I forced my cursed snout to speak again.

 

“My- my name is Adelaide, ma’am. And if… Siranae would have me, for such a thing, I would be willing to attend. Some fresh air should return vigor to my limbs, and I could do with knowing this… ‘Gur’Don’ better,” I huffed, eyes returning to my paws at the floor. “But I shan’t impose, and I’ll defer to her wishes on such a matter.”

 

Siranae, though I did not look at her, was quiet a moment as she lifted her own gaze from the floor.

 

“Well…if she wants…s-sure.” The girl spoke with a slight tremble, as though now afraid of me, though not unwelcoming. “She can come.”

 

“Excellent, excellent, dearr Sirranae~!” Mama clapped her hands together, looking to me. “Apologies, dearr, but Sirranae did not brring yourr satchel…and insisted you had none.”

 

“She, aha, did go back and check that you hadn’t dropped one but couldn’t find it.” Papa sighed, casting a glance to Siranae. The pink beast nodded solemnly, stepping back to open the door without another word.

 

“Just know if you have lost anything we will be surre to rreplace it.” Mama assured, giving me a soft pat on the shoulder. “I am surre you arre eagerr to get home, of courrse, of courrse, but you are welcome to stay with ourr family as long as you might need…!”

 

Siranae stood silently by the door.

 

I watched Siranae in turn- perhaps she, too, felt a sting of exhaustion from these perpetually joyous creatures. Were they so welcoming and simple to even a wretch, or did they understand the kindness and dignity owed to nobility-?

 

I was jostled by that soft pat nonetheless, drawn from the depths of my speculation and back to the waking world.

 

“I shall… set my course when the constitution is concluded. For now, I should quite like to rejuvenate myself, ma’am.” I gave another half-formed curtsy, an empty stare taking over my face- I had been so brash as to let it slip in the first place. “…thank you.”

 

With tails lying low behind my steps, I paced over to Siranae, to accompany this little excursion.

 

“Do feel free to come back any time!” Mama called as I left.

 

“Siranae, do be sure you treat your friend well!!” Papa gave a final command as Siranae closed the door.

 

Click

 

With that, the world inside that home was sealed away, letting the both of us outside into the wintery air. A peach coloring blanketed the entire world as the setting sun ran through thick clouds, an almost hazy quality. I could even see small flutters of frost trickling down from the sky. No blizzard yet, but certainly light snowfall.

 

 

A chilling breeze blew over the cobblestones, though my fur, unseemly as it was, helped to banish the cold I may have otherwise felt.

 

As I looked about, I saw that Siranae’s home was one of wood beams and shingles and clay walls, simple in its design, with a small overhang to the side. It similar to many of the houses on the street we both stood on, each of them looking occupied, with lights on within and smoke billowing from chimneys on the rooftops.

 

The next thing I noticed, once again, was the slant in the road. Every house stood upon a platform to keep them level as the road dropped harshly on a steep gradient down. It was dizzying, and I needed to hold onto something, as though I’d fall up towards the sprawling city below at the bottom of the steep hill.

 

All the same, beasts walked on this steep slope, practiced, and carriages rattled along all the same.

 

…I put forth an effort to take in this new realm. The houses- barely above hovels, it seemed- were well-kept and active. The beasts had not simply run out the prior inhabitants, they were inhabitants themselves. The last shreds of my disbelief were being worn through.

 

I took a few probing steps on the slanted road. Albeit with a moment of success, I almost spilled forward on a smoother patch of stone, and reeled myself back in an instant. There was learning to be done, with this landscape…

 

And there, behind me, Siranae heaved a long sigh, her forehead pressed against the door.

 

And she said nothing for a while. Simply…standing there. Finally, I realized Siranae’s presence again, and turned to face the girl- unreadable, infuriatingly so.

 

“You did not afford me the privilege of lies and mistruths, so…” I stepped back to her side. “I shall hold you to the same. Could you… I suppose, tell me what is troubling you?”

 

The girl’s large ears flicked as Siranae lifted her head and glanced back at me with those strange blue eyes of hers.

 

Softly, she pushed herself from the door looking…embarrassed. Or even ashamed. She shrunk back ever so slightly at my approach, frowning.

 

“I’m…” Siranae began slowly, her large ears seeming to flatten against her head…the same way a dog would. “…I’m sorry I said a bad and upset you.”

 

…now, it was my turn to stare stupidly at her, as though I could not process what she meant. Her paltry grammar certainly did not make the task any easier. But, after a moment, there was… a weak laugh under my breath.

 

“You are unfathomable, Siranae. Utterly separate from any expectation I have. I don’t think I am owed an apology for anything you said to me- certainly, you have been kinder than any soul I’ve met in this place, whether or not there is competition…”

 

I held one hand in another, giving another exhale.

 

“But… if it would resolve some of this, distress- I forgive you. I was… too lost in my own panic to treat you with any semblance of respect, and you are not accountable for that state of mind.”

 

My eyes wandered away, staring down the sloped street. There was a grip in my throat to try and halt further speech, but I continued.

 

“I do not wish to cause sorrow unduly. And, I… shall respect your wishes if you likewise do not wish me to linger in your abode.”

 

Siranae’s ears perked the moment I said the word ‘forgive’, a wash of relief spilling over the girl as the vigor returned to her. She took a small step at once so that you could see her again.

 

“No no, that’s not what I’d want at all. I’m happy to have you, Adelaide, I’d never turn down someone in need, I can’t, only…”

 

She bit her lip, glancing back towards her house, at the window, where she could just barely see her parents excitedly talking to one another.

 

“…I may have let slip you called yourself a noble…” Siranae admitted. “…now my parents are all…um…excited for me to not only have a friend but have them be a noble…”

 

She frowned, her brow furrowing.

 

“…but that’s not fair…and it’s dishonest.” She said. “…it’s not fair to call us friends when you haven’t even gotten a say in it…especially when all they’re thinking about is…”

 

She paused.

 

“…what adults always ever think about.”

 

I gave another laugh, this one less amused- but the girl was not to blame, that was… my own raving, placing that undue pressure upon her shoulders.

 

“So it would seem… I suppose parents would show such excitement at a noble funding their house, as though a patron. As if I could do so when I’m…”

 

I grimaced, gripping fur once more.

 

“This, this… inhuman creature-” I said, presenting my arms as proof of my disfigurement “-and when my home comes off as a farce to anyone but yourself. It is hard to be treated as nobility when no one will accept its existence.”

 

My tails pressed at each other, writhing in dismay.

 

“…I cannot expect them to think of me as a noble, if they learn more of my situation. And, while I should find it advisable to fib my way around that situation…”

 

A light huff.

 

“I don’t… believe I should treat a friend’s parents in that way.”

 

Siranae noticed the use of the word ‘friend’, I could tell by the way her ears twitched.

 

But she didn’t say anything for a moment, only mulling on what I said.

 

At last, she spoke.

 

“Well…rather than fib…may I ask your situation?” Siranae queried, looking at me. “I know little of the world of nobles but…still even among their ranks you seem, I guess, curious.”

 

She seemed as though she were picking her words carefully, so as not to say another ‘bad’.

 

“You have the…um…vocabulary of nobles. The posture and stuff but…something seems so odd. The things you don’t know…the odd things you said…the panic you showed over what is, to me, mundane…” Siranae sheepishly offered. “I hope this isn’t…rude to ask? But…do you need any help?”

 

My eyes started to wander between her eyes and her ears- both seemed helpful for this communication. Perhaps beasts simply worked that way…

 

I was almost at a loss for words. Panic and frustration and anguish over not being understood- now I was asked to explain, and there was nowhere good to begin. I started to speak all the same.

 

“I am… I am from Lombardy, in the Kingdom of Italy. My name is Nobildonna Adelaide Imperator de Milan.” I gripped my fur, and did another weak curtsy. “But… just ‘Adelaide’ is serviceable, in the present case. I had…”

 

My mind raced through those events. The nullness and blackness within slumber, the fall, the new realm… and everything that was to come. The dream I would not wake from, the land of another God.

 

My face twitched.

 

“A voice… brought me here. Spoke of a ‘task’ to walk among its creations… to befriend. To meet ‘Lippi’, who asked for my presence. And then, I was…”

 

A crack in my voice.

 

“Here. Gur’Don, Arceliaze, this… this land of beasts-” My fur quivered visibly. “And now, I am the same- no longer a human, just a creature of fur and fang. Nothing is… right. None of this is right.”

 

Siranae nodded softly all throughout my speech…though perked at the final word. She looked off to the side…and beckoned me follow her down the steep road, towards the shimmering city far down the bottom of the valley.

 

“Okay…then let me speak my perspective…” Siranae began, taking a breath. “…I don’t know of a Lombardy…nor ‘Kingdom of Italy’. Not to say they don’t exist, simply that I don’t know of them.”

 

She glanced over. She held no worry that I were not of sound mind, only making sure I was not becoming agitated as she spoke. I followed at her pace, having to labor myself an ounce to not fall forward on the slope. I… did as I could to understand and listen, even as I grew more uneased by moment.

 

Not… aware of them? I though, Of the Kingdom, of… any of it?

 

This… ‘world of the God’s creation’, it was so thoroughly separate from my own… to think I had silently slipped between such realms gave no small amount of anxiety.

 

“So you were asked by a voice…to do something…and make friends? And you have to meet Lippi, the Conduit.”

 

She nodded softly, trying to keep all this in her head. She looked like she was struggling but struggled on all the same for my sake.

 

“But you keep calling us ‘beasts’…we’re not beasts…we’re Poke’mon.” Siranae said, leaning forward to look me in the face as she walked beside me. “I’m an Audino. You’re a Buizel…but you say…’no longer a human’? You know what a human is?”

 

She seemed to be feeling out the boundaries of my knowledge.

 

“Au… Audino…” I sounded out the term. “Bwee… Bui-zel? Poh-keh-mon, n-no-“

 

My fists gripped, not in anger, only in… worry. As if to brace myself.

 

“None of these words, none of it is familiar. All of you are…”

 

I let out a strained, reluctant sigh.

 

“Intimidating, to me.”

 

My gaze moved away from her, now able to walk properly and no longer comfortable staring into her bright eyes.

 

“I know what a human is… I was human, last night- and for the full 17 years of my life preceding it. I was not so-” I grunted, knocking aside a pebble as I walked. “Not so short, not so feeble and furred- I did not lash a tail at the ground like a feral beast, I stood higher than beasts…”

 

“I should think humans equally intimidating.” Siranae said, watching the pebble I kicked as it tumbled down the road ahead of us both. “I know of humans, I’ve heard tales of them. Humans live in the woods, two-hundred arms, crawling over the land at frightening speeds to beset the world of Poke’mon and bring war and famine and death, infusing in entire armies a savage bloodlust quenched only by an ocean of bodies.”

 

She glanced over at me…looking a little more worried.

 

“Is…that was you really were…? Bigger? Scarier? More monstrous?” the Audino asked, her voice quivering again. “I should really hope you weren’t…”

 

“What…?” My fixed on her, more dumbfounded than how insulted I should’ve been. How could humans be… known as that, here?

 

“N… no, I should not think myself such a wretched thing.” There was a huff of frustration, as if to combat the idea itself. “Humans are two-armed, we do not crawl frantically like an insect. We build castles and universities, we are the highest of God’s creation! And we…”

 

I sighed, gripping fur again. Working myself through her other statements. Bloodlust, war, demise… I was not sure how to oppose them.

 

“I wasn’t so far… divorced, from a form such as this. Twice this height, maybe more… and less pudgy at the waist, as befitting a lady. I wore such fine garments, I studied, I read…” My tails dragged at the stone now, lacking the energy to stay aloft.

 

Now it was Siranae’s turn to give to me a dumbfounded expression, a curious look as she listened to me, my description of what was, to her…beasts to the beasts.

 

“So you mean to say…you were as us?” The Audino asked carefully, looking ahead as we both continued down. The lodgings were now left behind, replaced with shops sporting clear windows showing treats and garments, standings with fresh bread and fruits. A building with an open-air section selling what looked, to me, like bottles of wine.

 

Save for the beasts that walked across the roads, it all seemed very…human.

 

It was possible no longer to deny that obvious existence. Civilization, society, belonging… the beasts- the Poke’mon were that which ruled the land, here. If humans were so reviled, so unknown… had they been lost in such a world?

 

And that- that talk of God in so careless a manner-

 

“I was… as you all, indeed. Perhaps more advanced, though…”

 

“But what do you mean to say, that humans are the ‘highest of God’s creation’?” The Audino asked. “…I thought all Poke’mon were equal in the eyes of Arceus.”

 

My frustration betrayed the noble demeanor I so desperately attempted to maintain.

 

“God did not… create any ‘Poke’mon’, the Holy Bible does not speak a word of such beings- naught but demons could be comparable. And God does not bear a name, certainly not Arceus…“

 

What anger I had felt was forcibly waned- this was not… the world of my God, that is what the other being had tried to impart upon me. This world was… devoid of God’s grace.

 

Such a thing sent chills through my being, but… I persevered.

 

“Your… ‘god’ is Arceus, then. Does this ‘god’… speak to you? To any beasts?”

 

“Does he…speak to us…?” Siranae’s voice trailed off at the question. “Well…Mama says that Arceus talks to us in a lot of different ways. Like…the wind, the trickle of water. Then we talk to Arceus with our actions. Whether we’re good and kind and…”

 

The girl paused, glancing back at me. Her body was becoming more and more covered in flecks of frost. Another breeze whistled between the buildings, steam rolling of our breaths.

 

“But wait…if Arceus didn’t create Poke’mon then how’re we here?  I’d think even humans would have been made by Arceus…especially if you’re not actually as beastly as myths make humans out to be. It’s what scripture says, Papa taught it to me.”

 

“…it… it is not something of which I am fully aware,” I said with a shivering sigh. “And, I have done enough of speaking on God’s behalf, perhaps…”

 

I shook my head to dismiss the creeping thoughts.

 

“The voice that… spoke to me, it called this place a ‘world of its creation’- Arceus is your creator, and…”

 

Another exhale- less cold and more bothered, although the gripping at my furred arms became a more furious rubbing against the evening chill.

 

“It called itself a god… but, not the Lord that I have such familiarity with. Is your Arceus… fond of Lippi? The Conduit?”

 

“Arceus…spoke to you? Directly?” Siranae asked, half confused and half…awed. “But he only speaks through the Conduit. Lippi is his throat and ears, and all Poke’mon speak through her…but you aren’t familiar with Arceus…but you have…a God?”

 

The Audino frowned, looking ahead as the path evened out. The buildings were now left behind and we moved with a few groups down a cobblestone road flanked entirely by grassy hills with only the occasional patch of leafless trees festooning it as well as, more commonly, patches of white snow.

 

The grass swayed in the billowing wind. Siranae had to speak a little louder as we moved down the cold stones.

 

“So…yes…! Lippi, the Conduit Arceali, is in Arceus’s good favour. The blood of mew is in her veins…!” The Audino spoke with such confidence.

 

I strolled at her side, finding some mental purchase in her confirmation… my steps wobbled as the path became level, tilting my head up in turn. The wind sent another shiver through my bright fur.

 

“I do not know who this ‘Mew’ is,” I said. “But…it would explain why that voice would favor Lippi, if it was truly your Arceus. And, if she speaks true to Arceus’s will.”

 

The mortal voice of a higher power. It was grossly, harshly familiar.

 

“I should quite like to speak to her… I should quite like to know why I was wrested from the land of my Lord, and brought to your… Arceliaze, your Gur’Don, whatever this realm may be,” I said with a chilled huff. “…you truly do not know of any other, truer God here? The Lord, the Father- his son, Christ? The Catholic church? Are your parishes still intact…?”

 

Siranae frowned again, glancing at me.

 

“I’m sorry…those words are unfamiliar to me, Adelaide. As unfamiliar to me as Arceus seems to be to you.” The Audino sighed, fiddling with her hands, glancing to the side. “But, if you were given a task by Great Arceus then I should think I would do anything in my power to assist…but…”

 

She paused a while. The world around was slowly darkening as evening slowly transitioned into nighttime. Ahead, the grand city grew closer and a blanket of sparkling lights covered its visage.

 

“Speaking to Lippi directly…every month the Conduit is meant to do a communion in some public place, a square or a major Temple. Conduit Uaniria used to do it in Arkon Des Tenkul…but…”

 

“…but? But what, Siranae?” I squinted my eyes from the veil of gleaming lights, moving ahead to come into her view more properly. “This communion- Conduit Lippi practices it too, doesn’t she?”

 

Even as I asserted my hope, something crept into my mind anew.

 

Where… was I meant to go for Mass? This land of unknowing Poke’mon- who would hear confessions, such that I could cleanse sin? This Conduit did not even follow the Lord, whatever apostles or priests she bore would do me no better. What of my prayers– what prayer books could bear the words of the Lord when the Poke’mon did not have a language, beyond those infernal scribbles?

 

My breath raced against the cold in a growing panic.

 

“She- she has to, Siranae-“

 

“And she would! Or…she’s supposed to, but…”

 

Siranae squirmed as she walked. It looked as though she were just as uncomfortable with what she was about to say as I was likely to hear it.

 

“…Conduit Lippi simply doesn’t do communions.” Siranae said at last. “She has scarcely been seen outside Castle Arceali for years and…years, long before I was born. Everyone is extremely upset and worried…nobody is being heard by her. Even my Opier at the chapel says he’s worried for everyone.”

 

She looked out toward the glimmering city as the light left the land. There was a break in the clouds…I could almost make out a red light far in the sky.

 

“…Mama says Arceus isn’t listening to Poke’mon anymore because they’re all greedy and horrible.” Siranae muttered. “The opulence of Arceliaze repulses him, she says…I’m getting worried, too…”

 

“But-” My huffing was a hurried panting now, spewing fog into the cold air between myself and Siranae. “It is her purpose, is it not? What… what good is Lippi, if she does not help the devout? What good is a woman of God, who cannot even heed His word? If he brought me here…”

 

My voice died off and Siranae was quiet in return.

 

The sweeping view of the city below rose up higher and higher, and soon the both of us were approaching a torch-lit gate of stone and iron. I marched on, staring at the dirt in a fury- barely cognizant of that gate before us.

 

“For what purpose do Lippi and Arceus rend the world from me and bring me here, only to seal me out at their doorstep? For what purpose do the churches and the Bible fall to the wayside?! For- for-“

 

As my thoughts continued to race I heard Siranae speak again.

 

“The only ones that see her are the Conveytion…and nobles of business.” Siranae sighed. “I am neither. Just a simple ironworker…but to be honest, I can’t imagine why you’d be brought here and not be able to see her. That’d be…silly.“

 

I snapped my mouth and my eyes shut. My breaths were harsh, heavy hisses through those clamped fangs, as my head raced again. Against better judgment, I started to speed along to the gate, wincing at the sensation of the red light from above.

 

Siranae jumped, speeding along after me, her face full of worry again.

 

“Oh…I apologize, am I speaking a bad again…? I’ll hold my tongue a while. I don’t wish to upset…” She wrung her hands a little as we pressed on.

 

The wind was dampened here by the buildings, though many of them flew by. Brick and smokestacks. Rolling carriages to our left and right and wires over head.

 

But it wasn’t long until we passed another gate, a wide and opulent one shimmering with gold plating. Brilliantly colored lights shone ahead. A rumble of life echoed over the cobblestone, one I was familiar with from the massive cities of my home.

 

Along with the torchlight, a strange and eerie red glow shone upon the streets. I soon found why.

 

 

There, as the clouds broke above and the last snow fell, I saw it high above in the sky: A grand red planet, surrounding by smaller rocks, together with a white moon.

 

Siranae came up beside me, not even batting an eye above at the alien skyview.

 

“Well…here we are. Arceliaze.”

 

My eyes turned skyward, to that… light.

 

A world, a belt of asteroids, all shining above like mockeries to the realm I once knew. I looked about the city streets, the horridly wrong, snow-caked affronts to my history. Lights gleaming off of golden structures, golden gates, golden kingdoms built atop another God’s world.

 

Again, my eyes darted to that redness-

 

It was not just the planet. The stars…no constellations did I recognize. Not one star in place.

 

It was not my sky. Not at all.

 

Siranae stepped closer, a look of deep worry on her face as she examined me. I felt a hand on my back as she walked with me down the street.

 

The street itself had gone from cobblestone to a smooth stone that chilled my paws. Small canals ran under short bridges. Lanterns hung on ropes above. The buildings towered multiple stories. More and more I could see statues, illuminated in flickering torchlight.

 

All around were voices. Shouting, calling, cooing. Clapping. Music over the stones.

 

Street vendors. Libraries open for all to see. Beasts in flowing vestments, scarves, hats. Small squares with Theatres between them. Tunnels of stone with stands set into the walls, or shops open with nary between them and the street but a few pillars.

 

Everything was perfectly clean. Brand new. A scent of clay and wood permeated the air. Tarps covered oblong objects. Trimmings lied against buildings, unattached. Scaffolds dotted every street corner. Walls were knocked in and in the process of being decorated or repainted. Only occasionally could I see splotches of old brick or clay being swept away by large stone bricks of ivory coloring.

 

Siranae patted my shoulder softly again.

 

“Adelaide…? What’s wrong? You look as though you’re fit to cry…” She said, a sympathetic tone to her voice. “I don’t mean to keep upsetting you. I promise, however I can, I promise I’ll help you meet Lippi.”

 

Again, my eyes shut tight. Another flare had flashed to life inside me- but this one did not sprout vitriol and rage. It ate away at me, these reminders of a world that did not have the Lord, a world that did not have Lombardy, a world that did not have-

 

I couldn’t… let that thought come.

 

I couldn’t.

 

My eyes shot open, damp, as I looked to Siranae again. This time I had to hold myself together.

“The Conveytion, the nobles…” I said, ignoring her assurance so as not to look weak, even as my voice quavvered pathetically. “I could- I could try to ameliorate myself to them, yes? They would… bring me to the Conduit, could they not…?”

 

Siranae bit her lip at that, thinking hard.

 

“I…don’t wish to dash your hopes further. But I would say that, yes, coming under the noble’s good graces would be…the best plan, perhaps. But they don ‘t really talk to commoners like us…they really only care about other high borns or Poke’mon with ‘exceptional means’…by that I mean…lots of money.”

 

She was quiet.

 

“And, as you might guess…I am…also neither.” She said. “I’m sorry. If I could be more helpful I would…”

 

“But… she can’t-” I winced, eyes barely pried open to stare back at the Audino. I kept glaring out to the city- paved streets, statues of beasts, cheers and attires of nonhumans, all surrounded by the shimmering and gilded frames of towering buildings- all shooting up to that foreign sky.

 

Cities echoing with the cries of Poke’mon, godless creatures worshipping a Conduit who had left them behind. All of it burning into my senses, and there was naught I could do to dispel it, or to deny it, nothing to free myself of this world-

 

I tried to speak, but some wretched noise came from my throat instead, utterly lost in the roar of the crowds and passers-by around us.

 

I was shaking, a wrist pushing up against my shut eyes to fight off that accursed dampness. I could not feel myself breathe.

 

“And I am no longer either of them. Arceus discarded me here, for purpose for which I have no means to pursue.” Words were choked out in my drying throat. “Severed from my Lord. Severed from my life. S-“

 

A weaker breath, as I kept my face away from Siranae. The Audino was starting to panic again, her hands softly shaking, eyes darting over me, mouth mouth hanging open gormlessly as she tried to think of what to do.

 

“Severed from dearest Piera.” I choked. “As if I am meant to persist, alone- as some cruel joke for a ‘God’…”

 

Pomf

 

I felt a squeeze.

 

The Audino wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. Her body was soft and warm. It was as though a bed, blankets pillows and all, had decided to hug me at once.

 

I felt Siranae slowly guide me to the side, down onto a bench, the Audino not once letting go.

 

She only said one thing:

 

“Sorry…I panicked. I said a bad again…”

 

My body tensed from that pressure… not halted by a cold chill of the night’s air, or the billowing of smoke against fresh fur.

 

Only her warmth.

 

I moved with her guidance- I slid down onto the bench, staring barely beyond her head. Thoughts swirled and buzzed against my mind, and not one of them manifested into coherent words. My shaking was… lesser.

 

With some reflex aiding me, my arms moved around Siranae, pressing her fuzzy form into me in a weaker hug. I had not the strength to hold her so firmly as she did me, but my arms stayed locked against her sides and back all the same.

 

“No… no, Siranae… you’ve been good. You… did everything you could have, and more. This world is simply…”

 

My voice caught briefly, some of that moisture dripping rudely onto the Audino’s shoulder.

 

“Simply too much, for me… a-and you have rendered it that slightest ounce more bearable. Y-you’ve done well.”

 

The Audino squeezed again, a gentle touch, though I could feel the roughness in her hands, the hands of a laborer. She was so careful with me in that hug.

 

The street we both sat in was quieter, behind a building on a little out-of-the-way street, well lit and with a few quiet shops. The smell of icy wind and torch smoke filled my nostrils.

 

Staying in one place…grounding myself in Siranae’s hug…

 

I inhaled the frost and fumes slowly, body still quivering at their sensations… and, I exhaled, slumping against Siranae for only a moment.

 

I had not thought a beast… or any creature a Poke’mon might be, to be so delicate.

 

Siranae spoke again, in a softer voice.

 

“Okay…” She said at last. “I’m processing this a bit, myself. Your story is fantastical to hear, but I know you’re no liar. However it is your story came to be, you’re here now, so…”

 

She took a breath.

 

“…I’m going to help my friend.” She said at last. She didn’t let me go, waiting for me to pull away first. “Um…I usually come down to Arceliaze to clear my head and enjoy some food and good drink…if you want, we can leave all that stuff for later and just…relax? Have a night in Arceliaze? Maybe it’ll help you get used to being here, maybe?”

 

“Your trust is… a blessing, Siranae,” I said at last. “…an evening to cleanse the mind would do well for my own constitution. And I…”

 

A feeble laugh.

 

“I have not nourished myself since arriving here… where does one dine, in Arceliaze…?”

 

Siranae’s ears fluttered lightly, the excitement obvious at my question. She didn’t move, letting me slump on her as much as I liked.

 

“Well…! There’s a bunch of places but…” Siranae shifted a little. “I can’t really dine anywhere except the Old District. All the fine dining and noble banquets of the New District are very much out of my price range.”

 

She paused.

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“Well, that-“

 

…I realized my position, pressed against her- draped over her, as though in a drunken stupor. She hadn’t… pushed me off, how socially illiterate could she be-??

 

I pressed my paw into her, gently rising up from her embrace. It took a few more moments for my speech to resume.

 

“That should be fine, Siranae. I’ve dined on a stricter budget in my time, a simpler meal does me no harm.”

 

Pulling back I could now see Siranae’s shimmering eyes. The Audino clasped her hands to her chest, a wide smile spread on her face.

 

“This should be exciting, I hope.” She said. “If I may be honest, friendship and I are strangers…so I’m sorry if I’m somewhat new to all of this. Mama says I am ‘dull-witted’ and thus none tend to bother with me, as I give nothing in return. I hope the meal shall suffice as ‘something’!”

 

The girl grasped my hands, leading me up to my feet from the bench. I knew that back out into the street would mean being once again being bombarded with the new sensations and new sights, but Siranae seemed to make it a point to let me focus only on her.

 

“But it is funny, that my first friend should be a creature most would say does not exist. I don’t think this is what Papa thought when he said my friends were all imaginary.” Siranae laughed good-naturedly, seemingly not bothered at all by what she said. “But I should love to hear of the world of humans…and, may I say? You seem inclined to want to speak of it to someone.”

 

“…oh, dear,” I muttered, rising up with my gaze affixed to the girl. That ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’ were not so kind and clear as I had hoped. “I would…be happy to share some words of my nature and history, over our meal. And, in turn-“

 

I placed a palm on her shoulder, both for reassurance and for my own stability.

 

“I should ask that you will discard notions of being ‘dull-witted’ and ‘giving nothing’. They do not befit a lady, do you understand?”

 

“Well, if you say so, then I should be happy to discard them. The thoughts were sad at first, but I thought it best to accept them as who I am…but if you say it isn’t so then I’m more inclined to believe you.” Siranae said with a smile, slowly leading me back to the main road.

 

The rumble of the crowd became less muffled. The music and noise of the city filled my ears as we headed southward under the starry sky and that enormous red planet.

 

“But, you keep saying that and I still yet don’t know what you mean…” Siranae said curiously. “Unladylike, not befitting a lady. I have every reason to believe myself a woman…so far as I’ve checked. I’m not a man, certainly…I don’t believe so. I never given it much thought but I certainly am not uncomfortable, if that’s what you mean.”

 

“What do you…” I huffed with my own degree of confusion, squinting as the eerie red light filled my vision anew. “I should hope you are confident in your ladyhood, yes… but- is this not understood by ‘Poke’mon’? The behavior of men and women?”

 

I moved along, mind nulling the echoing songs and sounds to focus myself. How does one explain a lady’s natural grace…?

 

“The maidens and young ladies of a civilized society are… delicate,” I began. “They speak a calm and learned tongue, trained by years of decorum and study. They do not speak ill of themselves or of others unless duly justified. And their charm allures those suitors who would offer them a home to belong to…”

 

“Oh I know a few Poke’mon like that, soft and delicate…though many of them are men, and quite happy with it so.” Siranae said thoughtfully, mulling over what I said. “But suitors? I haven’t thought much of marriage, I was focusing mostly on my work at the iron smithy…”

 

I stole another look down at Siranae’s hands, calloused and rough from work. I had not focused on the Audino’s hands with my bothered stare, but I had felt their harsh press before- it was unnatural, to say the least. 

 

“But you…I assume, imply men and women are meant to be different? How are the men to be?”

 

I persisted, trying to keep hold of the train of thought.

 

“Men are- they are the bones and blood of a society. They are the laborers, they are the contractors- they are the kings, the stability of civilization from the top down. They do not speak delicate unless they speak to a lady, and-“

 

I huffed, now forcing myself to stare at Siranae’s palms.

 

“They do not let a lady pressure herself into a job, and certainly not one where her touch would become so damaged and distorted… I apologize that you have been forced to labor in such a way.”

 

“Forced? I wasn’t forced. If anything my Papa suggested serving at banquets, but I simply preferred work at the smithy…though it’s not my real goal.” Siranae said, looking ahead. “It’s funny you say men must be all these things when Lippi, the Conduit you seek, is herself a woman!”

 

The Audino giggled softly, her ears softly bouncing in her Mirth.

 

Indeed…it was now I began to notice it…one of the subtleties of Arceliaze. Though it looked so much like the civilization I knew…I began to notice things that made it all the more alien.

 

Though I could not tell man from woman among the beasts I could hear the difference in their voice. Women walked unaccompanied. Women’s voices called from stalls and stands (even in the language the Foreman had spoken hours ago). And it all mixed with the male voices of the city.

 

“I… I understand, but Lippi, she’s not- it’s not reasonable for women to-” I panted with some exasperation, my thoughts again on the do-nothing Lippi… and, now, on the eerie distinctions in the streets around me.

 

Perhaps for… for Poke’mon, it was easier to shirk one’s roles and play pretend as another, but it was thoroughly disturbing how brazenly these female beasts paraded their manly demeanors…

 

My efforts had been snuffed out by Siranae’s cheerful indifference. I’d simply have to assist her with those behaviors, in due time…

 

And such it continued, even as the road once against turned to cobble stone and we left behind the construction sites of the developing city.

 

“Oh, we’re just about at the Old District! I have a place I love going to whenever I get a chance, Teralin’s Place!”

 

“Teralin’s Place…” I muttered. “What sort of establishment would it be? Does it serve cuisine, or…” A grimace. “Moreso, rations and bread-crusts?”

 

“Oh I think you’ll like it a lot, Adelaide!” Siranae said cheerily, looking more excited to show her new friend this establishment. “It’s my special place. Well, I suppose many other Poke’mon know of it so it may not be special but it is special to me.”

 

Her ears fluttered softly. Though her cheerful mood once against contrasted with the surroundings.

 

For ahead, I saw the cobblestone turn to dirt with cut wood laid in the ground to provide some sort of pathway. The ivory brick was now replaced with simple red brick. With it came wood beams, abandoned scaffolds, small carriages parked in stables.

 

A smoky haze rolled over the street. Many of the lumbering Poke’mon here carried a different, more gruff poise than those in the New District.

 

No, this ‘Old District’ showed its age in its dirtied bricks.

 

And all the while, Siranae continued.

 

“Why, what I like to get is a bread stuffed with warm cheese…perhaps even with Rozhleena Mesa cuts…ooohhh, grilled and charred a little. It’s so wonderful, Adelaide, I should hope you’d love it! Perhaps even chased with a glass of Totter Juice…”

 

It was almost amusing how readily she displayed herself with those ear gestures. Could she even control them, or were they aloft on a whim like a dog’s ears? I’d have to teach her on that, too…

 

The crowd and the infrastructure inspired little faith in her promises of the ‘special place’- why would such a messy establishment even remain in a gilded city such as Arceliaze? I barely was able to fix myself onto Siranae’s words.

 

“I… am unfamiliar with the bulk of what you’ve said, but-” I took a breath, not wishing to be impolite to Siranae’s offer. “Bread and cheese, a simple pleasure would suffice tonight.”

 

I continued to glance around at the dirtied buildings and slapdash streets. This Old District was where… the poorer beasts ate, of course. I had little frame of reference for what the laborers and commoners considered a dining establishment, but it was marginally less dirty that I could have expected from a monstrous restaurant.

 

For all the misgivings one might have given about this world, it certainly continued to defy all expectations. And while the grim and gritty atmosphere of this place may have given others pause, perhaps now one might be more open to surprises.

 

After all, though she worked with her hands, Siranae was a soft girl with a gentle temperament. She seemed to enjoy very simple things. A bit of food, perhaps a bit of music, if I could close your eyes and pretend I were home perhaps that would make for a nice night.

 

Even if it was with commoners it was, perhaps, acceptable to try it on Siranae’s account.

 

Perhaps it would be fine.

 

…

 

---

 “HIT EM AGAIN! AGAIN!”

 

“CRACK ‘IS FECKIN SKULL, INNYE?!”

 

This was hell.

 

A SCREAM of Poke’mon all gathered around a center ring where two beasts, massive and bulky in size, SLAMMED into one another, trading blows. Blood flying, teeth gnashing, beer sloshing, ground THRUMMING.

 

“RIGHT HOOK, RIGHT HOOK, MATE! NO, NOT LIKE THAT-!!”

 

 

And there across from me at the little wood circular table sat Siranae, the girl idly clapping her hands with that same gormless and pleasant smile watching two beasts beat and pummel each other (one of whom sounded as though she were a woman, but it was hard to tell when all I could hear were grunts and screams).

 

At the very least, as promised, a large plate of steaming bread filled with cheese and what tasted like meat and spices, drizzled in sauce, sat between us to share.

 

So there was that.

 

There was one singular, brief moment where I could shut my eyes and make believe that this was some boorish eatery Piera had brought me to in the midst of a cold night on the town. And that moment shattered into chunks of pure glass with the roaring of strangers, of violent ne’er-do-wells that grew more joyous the more brutalized they had become.

 

I stared past them, blinded and stunned by the display of sheer monstrosity that my companion was indulging in. The scent of bread and spices barely registered over the fictionalized aroma of bloodshed I had manifested from the sight of them all.

 

I was… aghast.

 

…and famished.

 

A paw lazily meandered down to the bread, managing to snap a chunk from its gooey hold and, reluctantly, lap my tongue at it for a brief tasting of possible salvation.

 

The beasts were as incredible as they were terrifying in their violent passion.

 

One looked like some humanoid canine with blue fur, the other some manner of stout yellow-furred rabbit thing with arms like slugs or massive bats.

 

The two circled each other, trading blows. A punch would be blocked. Another would connect, a recoil, a grunt, a spit of blood. And the Poke’mon around the shouted for more.

 

Siranae, all the while, shared with me that delightful breaded food. And was it ever good, a meaty and savory flavor that seemed to melt with the chunky and warm sauce atop it. It warmed my tongue, the back of my throat, it was difficult to slowly appreciate a food that so thoroughly demanded to be swallowed immediately.

 

Indeed, I and Siranae showed our differences again, for the Audino girl had no qualms with taking large bites, swallowing whole chunks (bless her, at least she kept her mouth closed while chewing!!).

 

“OHHH”

 

An uppercut SLICED through the blue dog thing, sending it reeling back into the crowd who shoved him back into the ring, even as he staggered and stumbled. The yellow rabbit’s mouth was bleeding profusely.

 

Siranae looked at me cheerfully, her little legs swinging idly.

 

“See? Isn’t this fun, Adelaide?” She said, voice as warm as it ever was, which was funny considering the hyperenergetic atmosphere. “I get in the ring some nights to make a little extra money.”

 

She made a sudden face of realization.

 

“Oh! I didn’t even ask! Do you drink, Adelaide? I went and ordered a Totter glass for us both, to be courteous, but didn’t even consider if you don’t take to Totter! I apologize, I’m still navigating having a friend.”

 

I almost gagged on the meal, delicious as it was, from that raucous display of sheer brutality… my fuzzy arm moved up quickly to find some napkin or towelette that could cleanse the muck on my lips, frustratingly finding none.

 

Another strike from the blue beast, making my fur stand on end. I averted my eyes from the blood on the other creature’s body, did my very best to not think of the sauce upon my cheek as blood running out from a vicious attack-

 

“I have… not taken to much liquor, o-outside of some social events…” I struggled to speak, barely remembering to choke down the bite of bread in my maw. “B-but, given the… hostility of this, performance? I think a pint of some spirit would do me much good.”

 

I winced from another cheer and crash from the space nearby.

 

“Are they… i-is this fight going to result in a trip to the mortician?” I careful asked, horror creeping into my voice. “I can hardly imagine you placing funds on a death match of any kind, Siranae…”

 

“Oh no no, no dying.” Siranae assured, glancing over at the fight as the blue dog beast spun, fist CAREENING toward the rabbit, SLAMMING back! Into a table with a clatter, noise and mess, drink and food splattering onto the table.

 

I visibly shot up from every blow that rang in my ears, as though I was the one being pummeled beyond all recognition. Certainly people would mind their food being disrupted in that manner, wouldn’t they…?!

 

The Audino idly took another piece of stuffed bread, watching as the crowd collected the rabbit, stacks of paper being traded as the winnings, while others received gold coins.

 

“They have to pull their punches. Everyone here is really professional.” Siranae said, raising her voice over a chorus of cheers and horrendous cursing. “Um…in a sense. I mean, when I get in the ring I pull my punches but tend to win anyway…”

 

“Wait, you… you weren’t-” I babbled in a baffled manner, leaning closer to the Audino. “I had thought- you weren’t betting, you fight in there? But-“

 

A server approached with two drinks. Siranae reached within her pack, pulling out two sheets of paper to hand to the server.

 

I caught a look at the papers, seeing many words written on them. But the ones that caught my eye were: AGRICULTURE GUILD – PHERRISO FIELDS – 10 SHARES. The server nodded, giving 5 coins in change back, setting the drinks down and walking off. I looked between the papers and her, parsing over that odd phrase… but, tried to resume.

 

“Would you not break your bones? Or bruise your fair skin? Not even staining the fur on your torso…?”

 

“Well sure!” Siranae so casually replied to my question. “Well, okay, no broken bones usually because I have to go to work still but last week I got a bloody nose and…oh, look here!”

 

The Audino lifted a hand to touch her ear, lifting it up to let me see what looked to be a nasty scar hiding just underneath, which she displayed with some measure of pride. I winced at the fine line in her fur, showing off such an injury.

 

“It’s my only real excitement between the smithy and…well, sleeping.” Siranae admitted. “Though I read Arceali Guild news in the paper and dream of adventures and battles and a team…that’s…”

 

The Audino’s hand fell, and her ears, both of them, along with it.

 

“Ah, no, nevermind, I shouldn’t ramble about that. The guild’s no place for common Poke’mon.” Siranae said, trying to mask her sadness. “So, in lieu of what I truly want, I fight and dream and live adventure and places I’ll never see vicariously through the gazette.”

 

Siranae had much learning to do, and my faith was waning that I could correct such ignorance. But I stomached the ickiness, and tried to speak again. I fixed my gaze again on the bartender, Siranae’s papers in their hand.

 

“The Guild, hm?” I began, watching the bartender stuff those papers into what looked to be an iron safe. “That… ‘Agriculture Guild’ on those papers you had, that was an institution – they are placing bets on blood sports? Is this part of the ‘guild’s’ business??”

 

“The Agriculture Guild? Oh the papers I paid with? No no, Adelaide, that was my day’s payment.” Siranae said, opening her satchel back up, showing a little stack of papers, each of them saying similar things:

 

AGRICULTURE GUILD – PHERRISO FIELDS – 10 SHARES

AGRICULTURE GUILD – ERIS FOOD CO. – 10 SHARES

MERCHANT GUILD – VALLEY SHIPPING – 10 SHARES

 

They seemed to be certificates of stock ownership.

 

“Smithy work gets you about 10 Tier F shares a day. It’s not much but it’s certainly more than being a banquet sever.”

 

“Ten… shares.” I nodded, trying to keep hold of the Audino’s words…and her wants. “You are working for these…guilds you talk of, for your daily shares. If you are doing a serviceable job for them, why should you not be part of them properly? If they trust you, and you are worth your salt- why should you not go out there and…”

 

I swirled a paw in the air, nebulously.

 

“Bash, and roam, and make teams as you please? Like you seem to wish? Certainly better than allowing a lady to burn herself away at the iron for the rest of her days…”

 

“That…is certainly how it used to work.” Siranae nodded sadly, leaning on he table, looking out the opening facing the street, toward the Old District, staring at the distant flickering flames in the dark. “In the early days, when Arcea needed it most, Poke’mon banded together to help each other. Dig out rubble, restore salted fields, enrich lives left broken…”

 

She shook her head, as though the thought were invading her mind and she needed to banish it at once.

 

“But that’s not how it works. Though Poke’mon one and all still need help, only the Arceali Guild takes job and thus will Poke’mon only send those jobs to the Arceali Guild, lest the Arceali Guild take their request no more…and to slight one guild is to slight many more.”

 

Siranae’s sad eyes glanced at me, a small and accepting smile on her face.

 

“And I still need to eat, friend Adelaide.” She said. “So I must accept the guild for what it is now. It is an exclusive club for only the high borns and Poke’mon of means and their children. Graduating from the guild is no more about helping others than it is simply gaining extra measure of status to show off.”

 

The Audino was quiet…then laughed a little, waving her hand as though to dismiss the bad air.

 

“I’m sorry, if I sound bitter then it’s not my intention. Only that Papa has made the state of things quite clear…and that I might save myself much heartache to let that little childish dream die.” She said, almost with an air of finality…until she spoke one final bit: “…but I have trouble letting things go fully. Even if I can never join, I do not wish to lose that part of myself.”

 

The Audino paused a moment, averting her eyes to look down at the table. It was as though she were preempting herself for a scolding.

 

“Is that selfish?”

 

…I grunted, reclining against the table and glancing away from the Audino. Such exclusivity, such injustice- sealing out those who deserve righteous positions in favor of those that were born with the privilege. It was…

 

Annoyingly familiar. I recalled the University of Bologna, I recalled my… right to attend, beyond my studies. I did not want this to settle within me.

 

“No, Siranae… no, it is not selfish.” I thumped a paw down onto the table, staring forward. I took up the bread and tore off another bite of it- less dignified than I had wanted, but the frustration within me would not be so easily quelled. “You bear no fault for such a dream. The- that Arceali Guild has wronged you, that is what the case is.”

 

I let that statement hang in the air a moment. Siranae’s blue eyes lifted ever so slightly. Thus, I continued.

 

“As…as foreign as such violent escapades may be to me, it is clear that you have no reason to be barred from it- and your father is not the arbiter of what should wither and die within you.”

 

I looked back to her, something…sparking in me.

 

“I do not deny what right nobility has to lead its commoners, but… if a commoner should demonstrate the qualities of nobility, I am sure they deserve a chance to prove such. And you are owed that chance, dear Siranae.”

 

I continued my eating, the sounds of roaring Poke’mon now weaker on my ears.

 

“And if one lowly Poke’mon could masquerade as a noble… why could you not, either?”

 

Sirnae was quiet, listening to me closely. Though her ears did not lift nor did her wringing hands unclasp still she listened close to every word I said.

 

“It’s always a worry, in this world where nobility is quantified by coin as much as by poise, if not moreso…” Siranae meekly said. “There’s nights I’ve wondered after that world, that life. The world of nobles is vast, I know of only a small portion related to the Arceali Guild…studied it, in private. For all the time I’ve spent bloodying my knuckles here I’ve spent equal time…fantasizing in my room, waking up Papa with myself thumping footsteps as I dance alone and think on it, I…”

 

She stopped her rambling at once, a deep sigh heaved from her.

 

“…but to hear those words from you of all Poke’mon, Adelaide, feels different. Were Papa to tell me the same now it’d feel merely patronizing but…you were a noble of your own world, yes…? Surely you’d know better than even I that naught is for free, and nothing is done except for what can be repaid.”

 

She lifted her drink, which she hadn’t even touched yet.

 

“To gain the favor, the…sponsorship of a guild alumnus, a noble, I’d need more than even poise…or even money. I’d need to be worth something to them. For their children, it’s simple; it is a point of pride to be the parent of a graduate of the esteemed Arceali Guild, even if the children only goes on to take a job at the family’s business.”

 

The Audino perked up…and took a hasty gulp of her Totter drink, a small dribble running down her mouth as she launched into an apology.

 

“Ah, but, not to Doomsay your suggestion, Adelaide, I merely wish to let you know of all the variables! You understand? Forgive me if I was rude.”

 

I watched her quietly, taking up my own drink in cupped paws… my sips were small and light, but it was better than sitting stationary as she spoke.

 

“…I hadn’t expected such forethought from you, Siranae,” I muttered after a shivering gulp of that liquor. “Your simplicity belies a greater wisdom of things- I respect it.”

 

My paws pressed the drink back to where it was- I hadn’t managed my meal as well as the Audino, but I was nourishing myself all the same.

 

“It is no small task to simply be a noble. It is more than a set of behaviors, it is a way of living… it is a manner of carrying oneself, and of thinking of oneself. And yet…” I leaned forward with a groan, and still, I smiled. “It is not for you to determine. Others determine it for you, as I recalled so harshly today…I believe you could be worth something to these sponsors, or you could sufficiently mimic that worth, such that lesser minds are convinced. No small matter, and not one that could be achieved without some foundation of finance-but nowhere near impossible. Besides…”

 

I gestured my paw up and down the girl.

 

“Your… natural form is suited to such manners of grace.”

 

Siranae stared down at the drink, her dainty paws knocking together silently under her chair, swirling the glass with nary a word.

 

It was a bitter drink. Very bitter, tasting more of flour and bread…but it was cheap.

 

All she could afford.

 

“I don’t think of many things, friend Adelaide…but think of the guild I do, and think often. Perhaps I’ve mulled over it more than anyone in my position ought, but think I still do.” She replied sheepishly, her blue eyes trailing upwards slowly towards me.

 

A smile crept on her face.

 

“I’ve had a thought, Adelaide. One you might like. But first…would you like to see it? The guild?” Siranae asked, her paws once again softly swinging under the chair. “At the end of my nightly walks I sometimes…wander nearby, in that part of the New District, just to chance a look.”

 

There was an amused giggle under my breath… just that faint shift in her dialect, perhaps the liquor taking its hold of her tongue. There was a charm to it.

 

“A thought…?” My head lazily tilted to one side, less inhibited in my gestures thanks to the ‘Totter’, it seemed. “I should quite like to hear it, dear Siranae…but I believe seeing this guild is in order. And I should quite like to share in that part of your walk with you- to know this life a fair bit better.”

 

I began to move, before my eyes drifted down to the platter… and my paws started to pluck off more flavored bread, taking at it in small nibbles.

 

“I am… this meal is very agreeable, aha.” My paws swayed lightly, showing my readiness to leave once I had sated myself in these last few bites.

 

“Then let’s not waste a single bite~!” Siranae said, her voice becoming more sing-songy as she finished her glass along with her half of the plate, a gesture I happily mirrored.

 

Thus we left at once. It was somewhat relieving, walking from there unscathed in mind and body. Barring the rising panic…I feel I adapted well.

 

Of course…alcohol helped.

 

So there we were, traveling out that fight club just as the next brawl was beginning, walking down dirt paths, passing between the old brick buildings sporting everything from toy shops to snack shops, wares hanging from windows and from the door frames. It was easy to imagine children there, coins in hand, buying toys and treats.

 

From there came another side of the Old District. Here were ancient looking estates, surrounded by old gardens that kept their leaves even in winter, winding pathways spiraling up to grand doors. I gave a mixture of amused laughs and weakened sighs as I scanned across these estates of the Old District’s edges. I could swear I’d see my old self in one of their still-surviving courtyards, sharing a quiet moment with Piera or running after Uncle Enzo in my younger days…

 

Siranae seemed to have her bounce and excitement return to her as we approached the gate to the new district, as though her mind were alight with thoughts of this ‘Arceali Guild’ and its adventures that she talked so much of.

 

Returned to the ivory bricks, the high buildings, the looming watch towers, all upon well-lit roads that were a far cry from the dingy streets of the Old District. It was easy to imagine myself shopping in a place like this, once upon a time.

 

Even if the nuances were different…perhaps there were universal truths I could rely upon.

 

 

At last Siranae turned down a street, veering from the path we’d traveled before. Here now, the buildings grew larger…larger. Three stories became four stories. The details and trimmings and decorations became more immaculate and detailed, almost a cacophony of ostentatiousness. Fountains trickled both left and right. Benches were painted professionally with plaques upon the backs. Murals were painted into the sides of buildings, framed by gold.

 

Gold…gold.

 

This was not simply the home of nobility. This was the home of country elite. Those that ruled the world.

 

The gleam of pure gold stalled my errant thoughts.

 

I could see Mama’s warnings now- the signs of pure opulence, of a state of living that I would only be distantly privy to, even in my wildest dreams. The unease caused by those that could shatter a reputation from a simple disdainful glance. It straightened out the unevenness in my stride that the alcohol had evoked.

 

Siranae, meanwhile, kept her head down as she walked, skulking near the wall like a roach, keeping well out of the way of beautifully dressed Poke’mon that walked on the perfect stone. The Audino made not one bit of eye contact with any of the armored Poke’mon that stood by, much less getting close.

 

Only a while after did I realize Siranae’s… respect, if not fear, towards these other Poke’mon. Perhaps I had been adjusted to the sight of human elites, but… something of these beasts and their unknowing quality, the uncertainty of what being one of them could even entail- it urged me to keep my gaze down as well.

 

I followed Siranae as she made a turn into an alley, a tight walkway between two walled gardens. The ivy and leaves spilled over the sides and the Audino even had to push away some of the brush as she moved in this darker end of the New District, as if trying to avoid all eyes entirely.

 

I grimaced as the leafy prongs of overgrowth grazed my fur, but followed after Siranae all the same.

 

There was some understanding between us that we weren’t meant to be here- but perhaps no more than we already did not belong in such a place. It was almost freeing to ignore where I should have been, and give chase to the girl.

 

Another turn…another…passing closed gates and shut doors.

 

Until at last she stopped…her breath caught.

 

She lifted a finger softly, glancing back at me.

 

“There…” She whispered, her voice reverent and awed.

 

I came to a sudden halt, and held my breath- staring ahead with her.

 

“Would this be… the guild?” I asked, my steamed breath rolling over my lip.

 

The Audino stepped aside, letting me look out from the dark of the alley way, towards the shimmering building ahead.

 

 

First did I see it: By a small open space there was a building, tall but merely one story. A golden, beveled ring encircled beautifully cut doors, with spiral patterns etched into the very metal, edges worn by time but the sheen ever untarnished. In front of the door was a path of pure Onyx Marble, with golden lettering etched and painted into each slab. Red curtains billowed in the wind in front of the door, as though it were a theater stage and all that were inside were esteemed actors, seen but separated forever from the real world.

 

Siranae ducked down a little, holding my hand to beckon me lower with her. My palm pressed into the Audino’s… her rough skin was not so harsh a grip, and even if it was, I did not mind.

 

The door clicked. There I could see a few beasts, around my size, exit. A stout blue and white cat, flanked on one side by a pink cat with closed eyes and a oblong tail and flanked on the other by a purple cat with sharp fur and sharper eyes.

 

The Poke’mon laughed to one another in soft, measured voices. They did not howl and bellow like the Poke’mon of the Old District. It was a dainty display of mirth for any prying eyes that may have been watching, the laugh of ones under constant surveillance and reveling in it.

 

In a flash, they bounced away, leaving behind a small green chipmunk and a blue and cream looking weasel with a scarf, both of whom simply sauntered casually together with a strong poise and measured gait.

 

Hearing those beings… chatter and coo in amusement- almost, it disturbed me more than the beasts in the arena. It was one thing to guffaw and roar in blind joy, it was another to be so… delighted. I found myself nestled a little closer to Siranae in that realization.

 

I could hear Siranae let out a chilled breath, the puff of steam slowly rolling up from her exhale as we watched the Arceali Guild Poke’mon. The Audino’s paw lifted, as though she wished she could hold them, latch on and go with those Poke’mon, to enter their world.

 

And as the Guild Poke’mon vanished…Siranae’s hand fell back to her side.

 

“The Guild…” She said, nay, whispered, as though her tongue was unfit to say it and she would be punished were anyone to hear her utter that holy word.

 

There was a sadness in her eye, so thoroughly mixed with hope, as though she held that hope knowing it might one day be shattered as though it were nothing and she’d not be able to bear the pain, yet savored every moment that hope remained intact, even in denial.

 

Siranae glanced at me as the door closed with a click, the both of us standing hunched in the dark, in the cold air, breaths chilled and puffing against one another.

 

“To think I stand so close in body but so faraway in means.” Siranae muttered, only partially to me. “And…Adelaide, you now, too, stand close.”

 

She lifted her hand again, pointing towards a bridge that sat beside the Arceali Guild Hall.

 

The bridge ran over a wide canal, a rumble of rushing water clear to hear. I could see several lights shimmering brightly on the other side, lighting a structure even larger and more grand than any in all of Arceliaze that I’d seen.

 

From the twin buttresses, the enormous portcullis, and finally the grand dome that towered over all the world and its inhabitants.

 

It took little imagination to wonder who lived there, but Siranae spoke anyway.

 

“I’ve said before that naught’s given that cannot be repaid…whether or not that is how you feel I still feel I owe a debt…so there. There it is. Castle Arceali.” Siranae said, patting me on the shoulder. “The home of Lippi, right across from the guild.”

 

I stared on at the shimmering world that Siranae presented to me. The dome of the castle stood mighty over me, as though the residence of God himself…

 

No, only another God’s Conduit. Lippi stowed herself away from her own world in a castle, burning so bright that the light of God would surely blind her from within. Beauty beyond what any admiration could be achieved, wealth enough to crush its owner beneath the weight.

 

All before me, and yet so deeply divorced from my world.

 

“To think, she stands within my sight… and I can be only certain she would not allow me to reach her gilded doorstep. It is almost comical,” I weakly uttered, a feigned laugh. “But… perhaps it is a reassurance, to see such a place, to know it is true. I cannot be sure.”

 

I glanced over to Siranae, tired eyes conveying that dimmed smile.

 

“It… is a kindness for you to show me this place. Whatever debt you feel is owed, I assure you that it is repaid. What… shall we do from here?”

 

Siranae said it so plainly, as though practiced a million times before.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

She glanced back toward the shimmering castle. Perhaps she understood I felt the same; barred and left in the cold. Here, a noble standing with a commoner in the shadow of those that now towered over the both of us.

 

Siranae seemed as though she dared not move from the shadows. For she knew her place, here, staring from afar.

 

“In there…they gather.” Siranae said softly, pointing back to the guild. “Every day the guild members, all sons and daughters of one noble family or another, representing their respective trade guild, enter there to take jobs. Then they return for their reward then leave. Somewhere inside is a gathering hall. Frequently balldances and banquets are held for noble alumni, where they mingle, even meet with the Guildmaster or his Office Manager…Sometimes just for courtesy get-togethers, sometimes honoring new graduates or initiates…sometimes for fundraising.”

 

The Audino tucked her hands under her arms as a harsh chill whistled between the buildings.

 

“And though Lippi never visits the Guild…Guildmembers certainly may visit her freely.”

 

She glanced at me, a smile on her face even as she looked miserable deep within. She puffed out a billowing breath.

 

“I like to think I’d be fetching in a dress well beyond my paygrade, doing fine dances I have neither money nor time to learn…” The Audino sighed. “That some beautifully adorned Poke’mon should see me, pluck me up and whisk me away from my life and take me upon the adventures saved only for those who matter.”

 

She let out a laugh, and though she tried to not let it be so…it sounded bitter.

 

“Papa, Mama, co-workers, Uncles, Aunts, Grandmothers, Grandfathers all say the same: the nobles would cut me down and eat me alive.”

 

My arm slid onto her back… a slow, cautious, but altogether (at least, in my intent) soothing pressure, to offer some solace in the wake of such dire thoughts. The sinister wind would not slice through that warmth shared between us.

 

“I am sure such presumptuous beasts would tear themselves to shreds all the same. Some higher folk are simply searching for blood to drain from those weak points they can sniff out- and it bears no weight on your being, Siranae.”

 

My head rested upon her shoulder, eyelids drooping with the late hour coming over us.

 

“I cannot promise some gentleman will arrive to whisk you away as you desire- I cannot even promise such a thing exists. But…”

 

I rolled my head against her cheek.

 

“I should like to give you the chance to try, for such fantasy… to be within that higher society, to live free. Dress and all,” I muttered with a giggle. “I certainly would like to return to my garments and fine accommodations… and I should think you are owed some of that. That you can… matter in that way, dear Siranae.”

 

Siranae was silent. She only turned her head to face me, feeling my touch as I rested upon her, comforted her and, in her weakest hour, indulged her.

 

A soft and warm smile crossed the Audino’s face.

 

It was contemplative, as though slowly absorbing my every word. Comprehending and understanding those words fully.

 

“Adelaide…” She whispered softly. “If none will come to whisk me away and help me to what I desire…then what would you consider yourself?”

 

The question needed no answer. The warmth between us answered in earnest. She rest a hand upon my shoulder as well.

 

“Thank you for being my friend, Adelaide.”

 

The quiet was comforting, even in the chill of winter. Even with the billowing wind and the coming nighttime frost that once against began to flutter from the sky.

 

“OI, WHO’RE YOU TWO RUFFIANS SKULKING ABOUT?!”

 

Siranae jumped. Her head whipped toward the guild. There, crossing the bridge, lanterns in hand, were two armed guards, claws threateningly drawn.

 

With a sudden inhale, the Audino turned at once, tugging my hand.

 

“I’LL HAVE YOU BOTH BOOKED! THIS IS A DECENT POKE’MON’S PLACE!”

 

A hastened retreat was required, one that the Audino led in earnest at once.

 

My mind was awash and adrift, ripped from that silent moment and into a frantic chase from armored beasts. My head lagged behind me, but my fuzzy paws fumbled forward into a panic and a dash behind Siranae. Some part of me was terrified of those things seeking me in the night, and yet…

 

This furious flight was natural to me. I could run, race along unhindered, even catch up to Siranae. It was ghastly beyond compare to have trespassed- to turn tail and hide away from the eyes of the law. But I could not care.

 

I could barely parse what she had said to me. Was I… the friend that could right those wrongs? I had only spoken what was right, and offered what was just… any lady would have done the same, as within their power, I thought. And yet, she had amused me, even as we fled for our lives-

 

Siranae spoke so distantly of a savior that could whisk one away… and she did not see herself as one, with how much she yearned to aid, with that… noble heart?

 

She was always so foolish.

 

The run was short but felt eternal. Siranae seemed to know the shadows of the alleys by heart, this place she watched the guild members from.

 

The shouts of the guards. The thumping of their footsteps echoing betwixt the stones, though I could not see them as Siranae turned one corner after another, frantically fleeing, huffing and puffing to escape that place of splendor, that Mount Olympus that was not for mortal feet, chased by the Gods’ vanguard all the way back down to earth.

 

No – we were two gentle souls, fluttering from the maw of the abyss. And, though I was more ghostly than angelic with my breath racing so, that pure… freedom, and joy were undeniable. Siranae was… a relief.

 

At last she pulled me to the side, tugging me close into herself as she ducked into a villa’s back garden, sat upon a bench casually just behind the wall.

 

She huffed…puffed…then sucked in a deep breath as she held me.

 

thump thump thuMP THUMP THUMP THUmp thump thump thump….

 

The running footsteps, the shouting, came and went.

 

Siranae let go of her breath, a billow of steam from her lip as she looked down at me…and sighed. Her heart was thrumming.

 

Two filthy common ruffians chased off.

 

We had a long way to go.

 

My body collapsed into Siranae’s, mind still reverberating from the echoing steps, and the beating of her heart. She had practiced this routine with guards, or officers no doubt… masterful and natural in her elusive tricks. And I was an accomplice in her play- another ruffian fleeing from the crushing grip of the civilized world.

 

“Shall we…” I panted, a shaky smile coming with my words. “Find our way to the bedchambers, or mold away in the county’s jail for the night?”

 

Siranae blinked…and nodded.

 

“You’re welcome to stay with my family and I as long as you like, Adelaide. I will stick to my promise of helping you.” Siranae said, patting me warmly. “Though, pardon my parents…and…”

 

She was quiet a moment, snow fluttering around her, getting into her fur and her warm scarf. It laid on the bench we sat on, on the stones of Arceliaze.

 

“…I am glad you’ve come to me, om nou pucomi op esnevase tqmipfipvi…”

 

A cold wind blew between the buildings.

 

Yet I couldn’t have felt warmer.

 

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~ CHAPTER 3 ~

<< F I N I S >>

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