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Petey completely ignores them talking about him, totally engrossed in his game of making patterns with Charlie.
"Yeh. I think he's got ASD. Or, like, whatever you'd call it for a Pokemon, I dunno." She reaches out and runs her fingers through the soft fur atop his head. He doesn't react. "Or maybe he's just different. Who knows? But I can sorta figure out what he wants now."
Diana starts picking pieces of her muffin off to eat. "Sorry he, you know, made you buy him shit the other week."
"ASD?" Nope, no idea what that was. But he shook his head at her apology. "No. It didn't cost much. And...he wasn't a problem." While he never would have approached another person as a child, the lost little Espurr had reminded him a little of himself when he was younger. Maybe it was his very quiet behaviour.
At his side, Jennifer reached out a paw to try and bap at the blocks they were playing with. Walter reached over and touched the top of her head. Don't interrupt their games, Jennifer.
"You know. On the spectrum? Autistic?" She shrugs. "But, like I said, I dunno. I'm not a doctor."
At the intrusion of Jennifer's paw, Petey slams a tiny hand down onto the table and fixes the Fire type with a stare. Charlie squeaks as the pieces start raise off the by themselves.
The Espurr raps both hands at a rapid pace against the hard surface and seems to be making a low humming sound of agitation. His wide eyes still fixed upon Jennifer. The pieces shaking in midair.
Diana starts to rake her fingers through his fur at a faster pace, placing more pressure on his crown. "Arlight Petey. She didn't touch 'em. Calm down. Stop."
"I haven't heard of that before." He had studied medicine, but it was more surgical than mental health. He watched Petey's behaviour carefully as the little Espurr glared at Jennifer - who had immediately leapt into Walter's lap, eyes wide at Petey. She gave a small, unsure chirp to Petey, apologizing for making him mad and pressing into Walter's chest. Walter pet her head and murmured softly to her and she nodded, agreeing to return to her Pokeball.
"She meant no harm. But she can be rash." He would call out another Pokemon, once Petey was calm. He didn't want to be by himself, without one of his Pokemon with him.
"Really? Huh. Weird." Diana watches the scene play out and frowns.
"Don't worry about it." She stops stroking Petey's head to flick his ear. "Petey, look what you did. You're such a jerk sometimes."
The pieces drop back to table as Petey turns to Diana and starts flapping his arms even more rapidly, his humming turning into a long quiet squeal. Charlie moves to hide under the table as Diana rests her chin on her hand and stares at Petey, unimpressed. "What? You mad at me now? What you gonna do about it, huh?"
She smirks as Petey thrashes his arms and brings his face up to hers.
In a sudden movement, Diana wraps Petey up in her arms and bear hugs him to her. She roughly rubs her face atop his head and rocks slightly, humming loudly.
Diana does this for 20 seconds and Petey fights her for about 3 of them before calming down. Once she loosens her hold he just sits on her lap, leaning back to tap his head against her chest rhythmically.
Diana, meanwhile, coaxes Charlie out from under the table with a hand gesture and offers him the rest of the muffin to make him feel better.
"Sorry Walt." She gives him a half smile in apology for Petey.
Walter watched her calm him curiously. He simply had no experience with people, or Pokemon, who needed special care like this. Truama he was deeply familiar with but this was different. And it seemed like Diana's method's worked on soothing little Petey. He shook his head again. "There's nothing to apologise for. No harm was done."
He considered which Pokemon to bring out. He didn't want to upset Petey, but he was clearly a Pokemon with very particular behaviours. The choice was quickly obvious. With a flash and a sheen of light, Claudia appeared on the table by Walter's arm. She took in the scene quietly, shifting closer to Walter and fanning her tails in front of her, a little shyly. He offered her a piece of his muffin too, to help ease her.
"Claudia, this is Diana, Petey and Charlie." The vulpix looked at each of them with her softly violet eyes.
Charlie rushes forward to wave at the new face and chirp in a friendly manner. He pulls another tiny portion of Diana's muffin off and offers it to Claudia. "Friend?"
Diana meanwhile is inspecting the soft Pokemon from afar, Petey apparently unaware of the newest member of their party. "Aren't you very pretty?"
She looks a little confused for a moment and she digs about in her purse, pulling out a photo. She peers at it, then looks back at Claudia.
"Oh, I see it now. She's got like a lavender tint instead of an icy blue one." She smiles. "Classy."
Claudia ducked behind her tails, watching Charlie. She slowly lowered them and took a very small bite. "Hello."
"It isn't very noticable." He admitted. "I do wonder if that will change in an Alolan Ninetales. But she is good as she is." He wasn't ready to evolve her, and she wasn't ready for that either. "Is that a picture of your Vulpix?"
"...My name is Claudia." She unfurled her tails a little, relaxing slightly but not budging from beside Walter.
Walter didn't ask to see the picture. He returned to his sandwich, looking over the railing. For him, it was a comfortable quiet. Claudia remained close but relaxed with Charlie, speaking to him softly. "You seem very much like Bea...were you hatched by Diana?"
Diana stares at the photo for awhile longer, biting the inside of her cheek and her stomach rolls over. She lets out an irritated sigh and drinks the rest of her beverage to distract herself.
"Yes!" He bounces happily at her guess. "Diana hatched me. Looks after me. Lets me keep shiny stones!"
"Shiny stones...what kind of stones?" Was this little one collecting evolution items that Diana let him keep?
As the wind brushed back Walter's hair, he remembered...what seemed like so long ago. "...There was a man who brought me up here. We had met at a festival in August, and he asked me about parties. When he heard I'd never had one, he immediately said he would celebrate my birthday with me, right then and there, and took me to try a cinnamon bun." He smiled a little vacantly, half lost in the memory. Rhys had been the first person to really reach out to him, and that he ahd felt non-threatened by. "He's gone now, from Johto."
"Ones with things inside. Ones that are colourful. Some are smooth. Some you can look through." He's getting very excited explaining them to her. "But but but! My favorite one is a big that has a shape like this in it." He picks up one of the geometric shapes. "My Diana found that one and said I could keep it! She's so nice!"
Diana doesn't notice Petey get off her lap and start organizing the shapes again.
Instead she folds her arms on the table and rests her chin on them, watching Walter. She doesn't bother asking if she misses the guy, of course he does. Instead she smiles softly and asks. "Did you try one?"
Claudia looked at the shape carefully. She didn't mind Charlie's excitement. "...I'd like to see that stone sometime." She had a feeling there was more to these stones than Charlie could accurately describe. But if she could see them, perhaps she could shed some light on their true nature.
"...It was very sweet. He said it tasted best when it was warm, freshly cooked. He was right. But they're still good cold." He exhaled softly. He did miss Rhys. It had taken a while for him to realise exactly what had happened but when he did, it had been...hallow. A gentle, gnawing loss that still felt empty when he gave himself time to reflect on it.
"He brought me shopping here too. I was never able to repay him for his kindness." He turned back to his drink. Diana had been kind. Thoughtless and self serving, but also kind. It was important to remember both.
"I'll bring it next time! I promise!" Charlie is so giddy about the prospect of showing off his collection. "I keep them in our room at HQ!"
Diana's hand twitches and she lifts it, hesitant. She wants to pat his shoulder or arm or something, but thinks better of it. She sighs, using the hand to push back her hair.
Why is being comforting so difficult? She's not good at it at all. She wants to say something snarky and sarcastic. But the air feels thick in her throat, and she feels like the wrong words right now will crack the glass bridge between them forever.
"He sounds nice." She manages. Her fingers trail along the handle of her mug, her gaze flicking to the face down photograph on the table. "I'm not nice. I'm not even kind."
A single, joyless chuckle bursts from her and she runs a palm over her face, her lips curling upwards in a humourless fashion. "I wanna buy you a cinnamon bun now."
Claudia nodded gently. "I look forward to it. And if I find a nice rock, I will give it to you."
Walter reflected on her words, sipping his drink. "Neither am I." He let the liquid warm his throat, a contrast to the cool breeze brushing over his skin. He spoke in his typical, soft tone, his expression reflecting that he was trying to pick his words carefully. "I have not been good, or nice, or kind. But...today, you went shopping with me. And I brought you this. It does not make us good people. But...I think it means something. Even if that something is small."
People were still fundamentally flawed and hurtful to others. He wasn't going to say 'oh no, you're nice' to Diana. He didn't know her history or her mind. But up here, with just him, Diana and their Pokemon, something like this felt...significant. Claudia smiled and stepped into his arms, very proud of Walter and pressing her cheek to his jaw.
She keeps watching him as Charlie and Petey gather up the pieces and place them back in the box.
"Heh." She smirks. "Well, your guys certainly think you are."
Diana considers his words. Her eyes move to look back out at the skyline, avoiding looking at Walter's face when she speaks to spare him feeling awkward. "Thanks, Walt."
He nodded in acknowledgement. "...Your Pokemon think the same of you." He can't imagine a Pokemon that disliked her would let her call them a slut and seeing how she handled Petey, he was sure that they had a fondness for her.
He finished his drink and gave the last of his muffin to Claudia. She watched the others put away their toys, tails fanning behind her. "Thank you too. For all this."
She watches her Pokemon gather up the toy and tuck it inside her bag. "Yeh, they put up with me. Don't you?" She pets Charlie atop his head and he gives a little hop.
Diana holds Petey's PokeBall out to him as if to warn him. He spares it a glance then sits. Diana takes this as an okay and recalls him, Charlie giving a little wave as he vanishes.
"Well, you know." She looks back at him to smile. "Happy Birthday and all that."
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"Yeh. I think he's got ASD. Or, like, whatever you'd call it for a Pokemon, I dunno." She reaches out and runs her fingers through the soft fur atop his head. He doesn't react. "Or maybe he's just different. Who knows? But I can sorta figure out what he wants now."
Diana starts picking pieces of her muffin off to eat. "Sorry he, you know, made you buy him shit the other week."
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At his side, Jennifer reached out a paw to try and bap at the blocks they were playing with. Walter reached over and touched the top of her head. Don't interrupt their games, Jennifer.
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At the intrusion of Jennifer's paw, Petey slams a tiny hand down onto the table and fixes the Fire type with a stare. Charlie squeaks as the pieces start raise off the by themselves.
The Espurr raps both hands at a rapid pace against the hard surface and seems to be making a low humming sound of agitation. His wide eyes still fixed upon Jennifer. The pieces shaking in midair.
Diana starts to rake her fingers through his fur at a faster pace, placing more pressure on his crown. "Arlight Petey. She didn't touch 'em. Calm down. Stop."
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"She meant no harm. But she can be rash." He would call out another Pokemon, once Petey was calm. He didn't want to be by himself, without one of his Pokemon with him.
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"Don't worry about it." She stops stroking Petey's head to flick his ear. "Petey, look what you did. You're such a jerk sometimes."
The pieces drop back to table as Petey turns to Diana and starts flapping his arms even more rapidly, his humming turning into a long quiet squeal. Charlie moves to hide under the table as Diana rests her chin on her hand and stares at Petey, unimpressed. "What? You mad at me now? What you gonna do about it, huh?"
She smirks as Petey thrashes his arms and brings his face up to hers.
In a sudden movement, Diana wraps Petey up in her arms and bear hugs him to her. She roughly rubs her face atop his head and rocks slightly, humming loudly.
Diana does this for 20 seconds and Petey fights her for about 3 of them before calming down. Once she loosens her hold he just sits on her lap, leaning back to tap his head against her chest rhythmically.
Diana, meanwhile, coaxes Charlie out from under the table with a hand gesture and offers him the rest of the muffin to make him feel better.
"Sorry Walt." She gives him a half smile in apology for Petey.
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He considered which Pokemon to bring out. He didn't want to upset Petey, but he was clearly a Pokemon with very particular behaviours. The choice was quickly obvious. With a flash and a sheen of light, Claudia appeared on the table by Walter's arm. She took in the scene quietly, shifting closer to Walter and fanning her tails in front of her, a little shyly. He offered her a piece of his muffin too, to help ease her.
"Claudia, this is Diana, Petey and Charlie." The vulpix looked at each of them with her softly violet eyes.
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Diana meanwhile is inspecting the soft Pokemon from afar, Petey apparently unaware of the newest member of their party. "Aren't you very pretty?"
She looks a little confused for a moment and she digs about in her purse, pulling out a photo. She peers at it, then looks back at Claudia.
"Oh, I see it now. She's got like a lavender tint instead of an icy blue one." She smiles. "Classy."
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"It isn't very noticable." He admitted. "I do wonder if that will change in an Alolan Ninetales. But she is good as she is." He wasn't ready to evolve her, and she wasn't ready for that either. "Is that a picture of your Vulpix?"
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"That's why I had to check." She attempts a self depreciating smile. "You'd think I'd be able to tell the difference."
Diana worries the edge of the photograph. "Yeh, Emma's on here."
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Walter didn't ask to see the picture. He returned to his sandwich, looking over the railing. For him, it was a comfortable quiet. Claudia remained close but relaxed with Charlie, speaking to him softly. "You seem very much like Bea...were you hatched by Diana?"
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"Yes!" He bounces happily at her guess. "Diana hatched me. Looks after me. Lets me keep shiny stones!"
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As the wind brushed back Walter's hair, he remembered...what seemed like so long ago. "...There was a man who brought me up here. We had met at a festival in August, and he asked me about parties. When he heard I'd never had one, he immediately said he would celebrate my birthday with me, right then and there, and took me to try a cinnamon bun." He smiled a little vacantly, half lost in the memory. Rhys had been the first person to really reach out to him, and that he ahd felt non-threatened by. "He's gone now, from Johto."
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Diana doesn't notice Petey get off her lap and start organizing the shapes again.
Instead she folds her arms on the table and rests her chin on them, watching Walter. She doesn't bother asking if she misses the guy, of course he does. Instead she smiles softly and asks. "Did you try one?"
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"...It was very sweet. He said it tasted best when it was warm, freshly cooked. He was right. But they're still good cold." He exhaled softly. He did miss Rhys. It had taken a while for him to realise exactly what had happened but when he did, it had been...hallow. A gentle, gnawing loss that still felt empty when he gave himself time to reflect on it.
"He brought me shopping here too. I was never able to repay him for his kindness." He turned back to his drink. Diana had been kind. Thoughtless and self serving, but also kind. It was important to remember both.
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Diana's hand twitches and she lifts it, hesitant. She wants to pat his shoulder or arm or something, but thinks better of it. She sighs, using the hand to push back her hair.
Why is being comforting so difficult? She's not good at it at all. She wants to say something snarky and sarcastic. But the air feels thick in her throat, and she feels like the wrong words right now will crack the glass bridge between them forever.
"He sounds nice." She manages. Her fingers trail along the handle of her mug, her gaze flicking to the face down photograph on the table. "I'm not nice. I'm not even kind."
A single, joyless chuckle bursts from her and she runs a palm over her face, her lips curling upwards in a humourless fashion. "I wanna buy you a cinnamon bun now."
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Walter reflected on her words, sipping his drink. "Neither am I." He let the liquid warm his throat, a contrast to the cool breeze brushing over his skin. He spoke in his typical, soft tone, his expression reflecting that he was trying to pick his words carefully. "I have not been good, or nice, or kind. But...today, you went shopping with me. And I brought you this. It does not make us good people. But...I think it means something. Even if that something is small."
People were still fundamentally flawed and hurtful to others. He wasn't going to say 'oh no, you're nice' to Diana. He didn't know her history or her mind. But up here, with just him, Diana and their Pokemon, something like this felt...significant. Claudia smiled and stepped into his arms, very proud of Walter and pressing her cheek to his jaw.
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"Heh." She smirks. "Well, your guys certainly think you are."
Diana considers his words. Her eyes move to look back out at the skyline, avoiding looking at Walter's face when she speaks to spare him feeling awkward. "Thanks, Walt."
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He finished his drink and gave the last of his muffin to Claudia. She watched the others put away their toys, tails fanning behind her. "Thank you too. For all this."
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Diana holds Petey's PokeBall out to him as if to warn him. He spares it a glance then sits. Diana takes this as an okay and recalls him, Charlie giving a little wave as he vanishes.
"Well, you know." She looks back at him to smile. "Happy Birthday and all that."