Dark Art: Part I (Arti) || Burgh & Grimsley
The day had begun as most days began in Castelia City, with thin rays of sunlight peeking through the smog-covered skyscrapers, the noises of car and bus horns filing the thick air, and citizens hustling through their self-made crowd in an attempt to get to school or work on time. On the bay, sailors wiped their brows as they scrubbed the ships and ferries that would be taking fishing trips or heading out to disconnected land-masses. Water lapped against the platforms and docks where a few early-risers had gone to watch the sun come up over their dear city.
One of these early risers stood with his arms crossed, eyes staring straight ahead into the distance. A Swadloon sat at his feet, mimicking it’s trainer’s steady look of concentration and taking a deep breath as salty wind blew past the pair. The human, a teenage boy with untamable chestnut hair, sat down on the edge of the dock and let his feet hang over the side. He looked into the dark water below, noting some young Frillish that had come close to the shore, and smiled before throwing his head back and letting the gentle breeze tickle his neck. It wasn’t how most fifteen-year-old boys spent their mornings - in fact, the majority seemed to be more prone to sleeping the day away and waking in the late afternoon hours - but then again, this particular boy wasn’t like most others his age.
Deep relaxation was brought to an end by the loud voice of a hulking sailor who stood behind the boy.
“Hey, kid! Get outta here - we’re shippin’ out. Go on home, you’re in da way!”
The teen looked behind him and sighed, standing and grabbing Lim, his Swadloon. “Fine, fine,” he said wearily, “C’mon, let’s go back home, Lim.” He unlocked his shiny green bicycle from the gate at the top of the stairs leading the the dock, swung a thin leg over the seat, and began to peddle back towards the edge of the city, Lim happily seated in the basket on the front of the bike. It was nearly a fifteen minute bike-ride back to his family’s large home on the edge of the city, it’s large columns standing over the street like great symbols of strength and safety. The boy sighed, lifting his Pokemon out of the basket and walking through the gate at the front of the large home. With his peripheral vision, he looked towards his family’s neighbors' house for any sign of their similarly-aged son, but with no avail. It was, after all, entirely too early for the other to be awake.
Chuckling to himself, the lanky boy opened the door to find their family’s new pet, a loud and hyper Lillipup, sniffing wildly at his feet. He bent down and pet the young Pokemon, allowing it to lick his arms as much as it possibly desired. From up the wooden staircase, a feminine voice called out, “Burgh? Is that you?” The young Burgh looked curiously upwards, hoping he wasn’t in trouble for leaving the house again without telling anyone.
“Y-yes, Mother!” he called out with a tinge of anxiety, watching as his tall, beautiful mother appeared at the top of the staircase, a purple sundress gracing her body and a wide-brimmed hat placed upon her head. She looked down at him with motherly knowing, and chuckled to herself.
“You’re not in trouble, silly boy,” she said, making her way down the stairs and moving over to ruffle his thick curls, “I was simply going to ask if you’d run a gift over to the Sinclair’s.”
She motioned for her son to follow her into the kitchen, where a large basket of freshly picked daffodils sat basking in sunlight from the window. Burgh eyed them and smiled. They were beautiful, and the bright yellow color was one that could instantly lift any sour mood.
“They’re lovely,” Burgh said, grinning at his mother, “but…what’s the occasion?”
She winked at him with large, green eyes before explaining her reasoning behind the basket of daffodils.
“Oh, you know…I just feel that…the Sinclair’s could use more…color in their life! They seem to go for such a dark color scheme - not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course! But perhaps these will brighten their spirits, no?”
The teenage boy wrapped his hands around the handle of the basket, forever etching in his mind the bright lemon yellow shade of the flowers. “Of course, Mother,” Burgh grinned before picking up the basket, lifting Lim onto his shoulder, and heading back out into the sunlight. Once again, Burgh made his way through the iron gate at the front of his family’s house and walked several feet towards the Sinclair’s looming abode. He opened their own gate before making his way up their stairs and ringing the doorbell of the mansion.
It was several long moments before anyone appeared at the huge door, and Burgh would have bet anything it was because no one in the family was even awake yet. He sighed to himself, and was about to leave the basket of daffodils on the porch before he heard the lock of the door shift. Burgh stood back up quickly as the door opened before him, the first thing appearing before his eyes a flash of ruffled raven hair. Two sleepy blue eyes peeked at him from within the house, staring into Burgh’s green eyes for a moment before peering down at the basket of yellow flowers and then moving to the Swadloon sitting upon the visitor’s shoulders. The eyes slanted in disapproval before making an ultimate decision. Pale, slender hands opened the door further before gesturing for Burgh to enter the house. The chestnut-haired boy pulled the door closed behind him, following the other, who was still dressed in a dark robe. He’d obviously just woken up, and Burgh felt a bit guilty as he watched the skinny boy take the basket of flowers from his hands and place it on the dining room table.
Burgh ran a hand through his hair and gave a weak grin to Grimsley Sinclair, hoping the other wouldn’t be too upset for being awoken at the crack of dawn. He stared into the cerulean eyes before him - eyes that demanded an explanation for the early visit, and eyes that would always get an explanation from Burgh when they displayed…that look.
“Sorry, Giima,” Burgh said guiltily, “Mother wanted to get them here as soon as possible. I…apologize for waking you.” He moved behind his friend and grabbed the slender shoulders before him, giving a light squeeze, knowing that the action would probably annoy the other before bringing a sense of comfort. In an attempt to warm Grimsley up, Burgh continued talking, “Aren’t they beautiful though? I don’t see how anyone can’t like such a lovely color~.”
The look of disdain never left Grimsley’s face, and Burgh rolled his eyes dramatically, moving over to the Sinclair’s beautiful marble kitchen countertop. Having been in the house many, many times before, the brown-haired teen grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards and began to brew a cup of coffee for his friend. Rich, chocolate-colored liquid streamed into the mug from the fancy coffee maker that made its home upon the counter, and Burgh placed the mug upon the dining room table, pulling a chair out and practically forcing his friend to take a seat. He watched as the raven-haired teen took a sip of steaming coffee and sighed a breath of relief, finally satisfied.
“There ya go,” Burgh said happily, “waking up now?” He took a seat at the table and crossed one slender leg over the other, the young Swadloon sitting in his lap happily, watching Grimsley with wide eyes. Grimsley grimaced at the Bug-type Pokemon, obviously disgusted by its sight. Burgh noted the look and pulled Lim a bit closer towards his body. For a day that had started out so nicely, Burgh was beginning to become annoyed by Grimsley’s bad early-morning attitude.