"Lonnie, hey, it's been a while, hasn't it? A few weeks at least. I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I had to talk to some people about things."
The celebi patted the dirt close around the sprout, his attention locked on the saplings he'd set aside to plant. He'd given himself a tight schedule today; it was important to remember that Time wasn't something to play with, even if he had the ability to ignore its constraints. After this long on his own, he found it relaxing to stay in the provided timeframe and adjust himself rather than the flow to meet his needs. Once the tiny tree was safe in the ground, he looked up and smiled at the spewpa.
"It's okay. A few weeks isn't too long. Besides, I said you can come back any time you need to. It's not like my offer's going to go away or something." He brushed the dirt off his hands and straightened up. "It's nice to see you again, Wilson. You look like you're doing better."
"Yeah, I guess I am." Wilson paused and looked at the celebi, his soft cloak floofed out beyond its normal levels. "I owe it all to you. You saved my life."
Lonnie's antennae curled back against his head and he smiled. He must have talked to Wilson about this a hundred times by now. It wasn't a burden for him to take care of travelers and show them how to survive better on their own. He liked helping and he liked knowing that the people he talked to and taught had learned more about forests and how to survive in them with plants and berries and sheltered places that could be easily found and identified.
"I'm happy I was able to help. You were a really attentive learner."
Maybe a little more attentive than Lonnie was used to, but, he didn't know as much about mortals as he could. Sure, he helped them out when he could and loved to sit and listen to them tell stories about their lives, but, there was always a distance between himself and his guests. He'd never been sure if it was because he was a strange type of pokemon, or if it had to do with his life in the woods. Either way, it wasn't a gap Lonnie minded. He wasn't quite sure how to handle mortals yet, and the small doses of interaction he got were just enough for him to feel informed without him getting overwhelmed.
Most of them were like that, at least. The spewpa was a special case. Wilson had shown up just a month earlier, bedraggled and starving, and asked him for help. Lonnie had done his best to show him what he knew, and the bug proved to be a fast and competent learner. He gave Lonnie a lot more attention than Lonnie was used to. He'd had some when he lived with Time, but since then, he'd had a fairly limited time in the limelight. He wasn't sure how he felt about Wilson giving him his undivided attention or asking to sleep next to him when night fell. Maybe it was flattering. It probably was, he'd decided. Flattering or not, it kept Lonnie on edge. He didn't know how to handle Wilson.
"Still, I, uh, I'm just really glad I got to see you again, Lonnie. I missed you a lot."
The bug shuffled closer. Here it was, the same situation as before, and here he was, not sure how to handle the affectionate bug. He smiled and prepared for the strange amount of attention to begin once again as Wilson plopped down next to him, his fluff brushing against the celebi's side.
Heat spread through Lonnie's body, and the plant's wings flicked out at attention. Everything inside him lit up with energy he couldn't recognize while his head swirled with activity. He looked at Wilson and saw his mouth move, but everything was slower than it should be. It was like mud weighed down every inch of his body, holding him in place as he stared at the bug. Had he always felt this strange when he looked at his guest? Had his heart always hurt like this when he showed up?
He pressed his hands against his chest and tried to capture the warmth he felt inside of him. The intensity of it took the breath out of him and made his head spin as Wilson's words slid past his perception. Silence fell between them and Lonnie realized his mistake. He'd said something, hadn't he? Wilson'd said something, but he was too distracted to understand. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Should he ask what he said? Was it ok if he didn't? He wasn't sure he could manage to talk with all this emotion locked up inside of him. Was it ok if he just stared at him? That wasn't bad, right? It made sense. He was such an interesting person, people must stare at him all the time. He was probably used to it, but, then, maybe that was just some bad rationalization on Lonnie's part. He wasn't sure what to do, but he had to do something!
Lonnie nodded. There, that was something, that was ok, he wasn't sure what he was nodding about, but whatever this bug said had to be something worth agreeing to. He couldn't look away from him, he had to keep his eyes on the spewpa's dappled coat and sparkling eyes and he pressed his hands closer against his chest. Why did he feel like this? What was this sensation and why had it hit him so hard? It was a challenge to keep his mind off of the bug. He couldn't keep focused on what he was working on before this beautiful creature returned.
Wilson's eyes gleamed as a smile stretched across his face. Lonnie wasn't sure what had made him so happy, but, he couldn't bring himself to care at this moment. Sure, it'd be nice to know, especially since he liked the idea of Wilson smiling again in the future, but it was too hard to focus. It was easier to accept that the spewpa was happy and continue from there.