“Caitlin! It’s so good to see you! How have you been, are you well?” Cynthia gushed, pulling her old friend into a hug. Although they were both in their twenties now Caitlin remained as petite as ever.
Cynthia had let herself in, Caitlin knew her well enough and the house was so large she doubted her knocking could be heard. Fortunately she had not had to wait long until Caitlin had been notified of her arrival. (By her psychic abilities or by a servant Cynthia didn’t know)
Caitlin loved the sunlight. She loved it so much that, when she had first moved to Unova and had the chance to pick out her own home, she had chosen the one that had the most windows – being located by the sea was just a bonus. It was true that for one person the villa was rather large, but she had reasoned with herself that surely there would be people who would come visit; besides, the more room there was, the more space her Pokemon had to lounge around (who really only left their capsules when at the villa or during a battle).
It came as no surprise when she had offered a permanent room to Cynthia, who had a tendency of jumping from one place to the next in a heartbeat, years ago – and even took it upon herself to decorate the woman's room for her in a way she hoped Cynthia would approve of. While Caitlin herself preferred more neutral colors, for Cynthia she had picked a rather dark color scheme with a more contemporary feel to it. It was a project she had been working on since the last time Cynthia had stayed, deciding that Caitlin's own taste didn't quite suit the archaeologist. Plus, it gave her a reason to decorate.
It was around midday when Gothitelle danced into Cynthia's room to inform her that a guest had arrived. Caitlin and Reuniclus had been putting fresh sheets on the bed (which were a deep bronze that went well with the rooms black and gold color scheme), wiping the beading sweat from her temple once it was done. King sized beds were fun to decorate, but Arceus was it a chore.
“Gothitelle, please help Reuniclus finish the bed. I'll go greet our guest.” The gothic Pokemon sang her acknowledgment as she took her trainer's place at the side of the bed, pulling over the comforters that had sat idle on a chair waiting their turn.
'I wonder who it is. Coming over unannounced like this.' With a sigh, the psychic quickly checked over her appearance in a nearby mirror. If she had went down to greet someone after working up a sweat, her grandmother would've rolled over in her grave. Once satisfied she looked presentable, Caitlin left Cynthia's room and made her way downstairs. When she reached the bottom, she froze – her ears picking up movement from somewhere on the ground floor. 'They let themselves in?' Somewhat perturbed, she turned the corner and headed in the direction of the foyer; but stopped right in her tracks when her eyes met those of a very familiar someone.
“Cynthia.” Although she retained her indifferent expression, there was a certain twinkle that danced into her eyes when she called out the woman's name. Cynthia had wasted no time pulling the psychic into a hug, and Caitlin hesitated only a moment before reciprocating the gesture.
“Caitlin! It’s so good to see you! How have you been, are you well?”
To bombard her within only moments of seeing each other was very Cynthia-like, and Caitlin couldn't help find her friend’s exuberant actions somewhat endearing. Gently pushing the other woman away, she bobbed her head demurely in response to her questions. “Yes, I've been well. And you?” Silently she thrilled about unveiling the project she had been working on since Cynthia's last visit, but simply pushed the excitement aside for the moment as she guided her friend over to the lavish couches only a few steps to their right. There would be time for that later; first she wanted to hear what Cynthia had to say.
“Your home is just lovely!”
“Thank you,” with a small, yet pleased, smile, the psychic sat down and motioned for Cynthia to do the same, “I try to keep up with it; however, I tend to not get as much time here as I would like. The league demands a lot of my attention.” Tilting her head slightly, she suddenly realized that Cynthia was probably famished after her trip! Looking at the time on a nearby clock, Caitlin realized with a start that it was just about time for lunch. Having been engrossed in her project all morning, she hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten.
“Are you hungry? Would you like me to get you anything?”
Humming a jaunty tune under his breath, Riley slipped into his blue jacket, easily buttoning up the front. After a quick adjustment to the collar, he went to the mirror to check his appearance. Ahh, he looked as impeccable as always. Riley may be down to earth kind of guy but even he couldn’t really escape from having some form of vanity. The man preferred to look neat and classy in all occasions, thus the reason for his wardrobe never straying from looking like a suit. Of course, if someone were to ask, he would reply that his outfit was perfect for dealing with the chilly Sinnoh climate.
Caitlin watched in silent satisfaction at Riley’s pleased reaction to his present, quickly bobbing her head to confirm that she had indeed made them herself. They weren’t anything fancy in her opinion, and were relatively easy treats to whip up on short notice. The best part about them, however, was that they were delicious; to Caitlin anyway, who had taken it upon herself to taste test each dessert before packing up the rest.
When her escort motioned for them to be on their way, she didn’t hesitate before falling into step with him. As they made their way to the main street leading into the heart of the city, Caitlin’s eyes flickered to the side when they passed the welcome center building – casually catching a glimpse of herself in the glass window that looked into an area filled with brochures for all the Canalave City attractions.
Because it was a relatively warm day, she had foregone her favored faux fur hat that she had a tendency to overuse in Unova. Instead, she had simply pulled her hair half up and tied it in place with a wide bow at the back of her head. The cream colored bow had been purposely picked to go with her outfit, which was a simple floral print dress that dropped to her knees. She wore a light sweater over her shoulders to stay warm, and a pair of plain, off-white flats dressed her feet. Overall, she thought she looked presentable – albeit a bit more casual than she was used to.
“So, what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other? Still an Elite Four, I’m assuming?”
The psychic dragged her attention back to her companion, tilting her head to the side slightly in order to meet his gaze.
“That’s right.” Although she appeared rather indifferent to the conversation taking place, one could tell with a measured look that the man beside her held her full attention. “The league had a busy season. I wasn’t able to sleep as much as I liked. But …” Caitlin paused as she considered her next words, “I didn’t dislike it.”
Her gaze had slipped away from his during her response in favor of peering at the path ahead, remember all the times Marshal or Iris had come barging into her room to inform her of a new challenger. At first she didn’t really know how to react to the sudden surge of challengers, especially since half the time she was the first one chosen to battle; after a while, however, she fell into a routine. It was troublesome to have her naps disturbed so often, but even if it was only to herself Caitlin couldn’t help but admit it was fun.
It took her a moment to pull herself out of her reverie and remember she wasn’t alone. Turning back to Riley, she returned the previous question.
Setting foot on Iron Island, he was greeted with slight unease instead of the usual content he found visiting. Metagross didn’t land upon arrival, hovering towards the tiered stairs and giving a weighty groan-like sound. Quick questioning demonstrated Steven’s concern for Riley, but the Pokemon’s slow ascendancy dismissed any sort of urgency. Still, what was off?
It was beginning to become a problem – no, correction, it already was a problem. A problem that, despite everything Caitlin had tried to do, didn’t exactly get worse but showed absolutely no signs of improving. With a grimace, the psychic allowed her eyes to examine the Pokemon before her; silently arguing with herself over exactly what was causing her to be unable to … connect with it. Metagross, whether not sensing its trainers’ anguish or choosing not to acknowledge it, simply returned her stare steadily.
‘I do not think this is helping.’ Forcing back the sigh that had tried to escape for the billionth time, Caitlin couldn’t help but question her decision for coming to the Iron Islands. When she had received the Metagross as a gift from her elite predecessor, the psychic knew right away that training it would be more difficult than she was used to. Perhaps it was because Metagross wasn’t a pure psychic-type like the rest of her team, or maybe they just didn’t know how to communicate with each other well. Whatever the reason, it needed to change.
And so, with determination, she had set out for the Iron Islands during her break from the league. She had heard rumors that training there was a sure way to improve the bonds with your Pokémon, and because it was the home to other steel types Caitlin was inclined to believe that the island would somehow be the key to fixing their problem.
Caitlin didn’t know how long they stood there, simply staring at each other while not knowing how to proceed, but she could imagine by the ache in her feet that it had been for quite some time. It wasn’t until she heard the approach of another that she let her gaze wander from the steel Pokémon to investigate.
The moment her eyes caught his, the first thing that came to mind was Devon Corp. It took her a moment longer to actually link the enterprise with the man before her, but when she did a look of mild recognition crossed her face. ‘He is the son … what was his name. Steven.’ The psychic inclined her head politely in response to his greeting, glancing over to the Metagross at her side when he inquired about her presence there.
“It’s not working,” She said simply, as if that explained everything, “there’s no connection.”
It wasn’t like she was particularly excited about her return to Sinnoh. In fact, she hadn’t been excited at all about the trip. Rather than returning to her home region, which by itself would likely arouse some sort of excitement from anyone else, it was more so the person she was about to meet that put that little pep in her step; although, if asked directly, she would still deny any sort of trill she felt in regards to the upcoming meeting.
Pale hands tenderly held the box of pastries she had prepared to bring with her that morning. Éclair’s topped with a dark chocolate frosting under a delicate white chocolate drizzle, oval shaped Macaron’s in various colors, tarts decorated artistically with different fruits – and of course, all made by her own hand. Absently she wondered if she should have prepared something different, not quite remembering her friend’s stance on the matter of desserts.
With a quick glance down to the watch on her wrist, 12:17 P.M. blinked back up at her. Perhaps she had arrived a bit early; they weren’t scheduled to meet for another ten minutes after all. Stepping off the main path, Caitlin slowly made her way over to a nearby bench to wait and took a moment to survey her surroundings. Although she had not been to Canalave City many times in the past, from what she could remember of it the city hadn’t appeared to change all that much.
Although Canalave wasn’t large by any means, the psychic was still a bit surprised at the amount of people wandering around. Perhaps it had something to do with the warm weather? The smell of the ocean seemed to stain the city, reminding her momentarily of her home back in Undella, and absently she wondered if that monstrous drawbridge was still the only thing connecting the two halves of the city together. She shuddered slightly as she thought of the rolling waters underneath the bridge ready to swallow her whole, and pursing her lips together she silently hoped that Riley wouldn’t make her cross it.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, Riley appeared around the corner not a moment later. ‘He’s gotten taller,’ she observed silently, which was of course to be expected since the last time they saw each other had been a few years prior, and rose to her feet to greet him as he came closer. ‘I have to look up at him now. It’s strange.’
“Riley,” came her simple greeting when he came to a stop in front of her, “for you.” With no further explanation, she held the pastry package out to him expectantly. The psychic watched the aura guardian with a mixed expression of mild curiosity and indifference, waiting for him to take the package from her hands.
“You’re hurting me. Let go.“ Came the psychic’s sharp command as aqua hues narrowed in warning at her aggressor. The man gripping her wrist simply smiled slyly in response; her words seeming to be more challenging than foreboding.
“Hey now, no need to get so defensive. I just wanted to have a little fun, ya’know?“ As if to demonstrate his point, the man tugged her forward until she was close enough to smell his vile breath. Bile and alcohol wafted off him in waves, and absently she worried the stench would stain her clothes.
“I won’t tell you again,” Caitlin warned slowly; and as if a light had suddenly begun to shine within her, the limbal rings of her eyes began to glow until it appeared as if her iris’ were encased in a ring of light, “let go.”
The man jerked back when he noticed the unnatural change, perhaps finally sensing the threat in her words when the bows tied to the ends of her hair began to float upwards a moment later. Muttering a chain of uneasy curses, he stumbled back in his drunken state; spitting out ‘ monster ‘ in her direction before turning and hastily wobbling away.
Once she was sure that the man wouldn’t turn back, Caitlin sighed heavily and let the psychic energy she had been building dissipate. Almost instantly her head began throbbing, and so in an attempt to quell the pain she began to massage her temples gingerly.
‘Monster, huh?’ Glancing down at the crushed package at her feet, all she could manage to do was blankly stare at it. Was it even worth the trouble of picking it up? Surely the contents were unsalvageable after being carelessly stomped on by that drunkard.
Although she hated the thought of leaving the pastry she had gone out of her way to purchase, the growing shadows of twilight reminded her that she needed to hurry home if she didn’t wish to attract unwanted attention again. Turning back to her path, feeling far too tired despite the still relatively early hour, she forced herself to march on.
Hello everyone! So I’ve been totally slacking with saying hi, and for that I’m super sorry~
Anyway, it’s nice to meet everyone! From now on I shall be your resident sleepyhead, so I hope you’ll take care of me. (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I’ve already begun plotting with a couple people, but if anyone else would like to thread with my smol bean then don’t be shy and let me know. I’ll try and think up a general starter here soon, but Caitlin’s a bit picky so I’ve had no ideas yet. (๑´╹‸╹`๑)
Again, it’s awesome to meet you guys. I’m excited to begin threading with you.
Caitlin; although she might casually skip the bringing it up part.
┊☆┊ Kills the bugs …
Caitlin, because come on … Grimsley wouldn’t go near it.
┊☆┊ Cooks the meals …
The caterer of course! If it were up to Caitlin, they’d eat desserts for all three meals …. however, Grimsley might try his hand in the kitchen every now and then in order to try and impress his lady fair. Nothing’s more sexy than a guy who attempts to cook.
┊☆┊ Starts getting into holidays way before they should …
Caitlin, who then proceeds to fill up their fridge with various desserts. Poor Grimsley must hate the holidays by now.
┊☆┊ Initiates the couple selfies …
Grimsley for obvious reasons.
┊☆┊ Forgets the birthdays and anniversaries …
Grimsley, although Caitlin is pretty bad at this too.
┊☆┊ Always ends up with too much junk food after grocery shopping …
A psychic who should not be named; although in her defense, the junk food is typically stripped down to their bare ingredients so she can make it herself at home.
┊☆┊ Nicknames the other …
Grimsley. He gets jealous easily when other guys people talk to her too casually, and figures a nickname is a quick and subtle way to say ‘Back the fuck off.’
pixelskylines
prguitarman
2087
annaxmalina
areudirty
baratheonpilled
