👊 for what my muse would say upon hearing yours has been arrested.
Cynthia bursts into an uncontrollable fit laughter when she hears the news, finding herself unable to stop until her stomach aches and her eyes water. People are staring but this is just too funny.“Arrested? Really?” repeats what she has been told, dabbing her eye with her handkerchief. “I didn’t know Steven had it in him, that is hilarious!”
She chuckles to herself for a long while finding the whole situation highly amusing. What on earth has her friend got himself into now?
Her face pales slightly and decides she better make a call.
“It’s not something serious like embezzlement, right?”
It had been one of those rare nights where he was actually resting his body.
Usually, Riley would still be out, either on the rocky fields or the caves, performing some sort of training exercise with one of his Pokemon. He wouldn’t return until he was either on the verge of exhaustion or the stars were twinkling overhead. Tonight, however, he found himself sitting on the sofa, his feet propped up and a good book in hand. On the coffee table beside him, there was a jar of his mother’s homemade cookies as well as a cup of freshly made tea. A pair of reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
He figured that it was high time he properly rested his body before it decided to shut down on him.
Riley knew the importance of rest but he often overlook it in his pursuit towards mastering whatever exercise at the time. This time, he could really feel the effects of not properly letting his sore muscles heal. Considering he did not want to ruin his progress over something trivial, the man talked himself into resting for a few days. It wouldn’t be so bad, he figured. Now was the chance to read the books he had bought but never found the time to read. With some snacks and a comfy enough surface, it was quite easy for him to engage himself in his book, the time passing by almost unknowingly.
He was about half way through the book when he heard rapid knocks on the door. Riley looked up from his book, eyebrows pinched in mild confusion. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was quite late. Who on earth would want to visit him at this time of night? To find an answer for his question, he bookmarked the page before standing up, taking a moment to stretch out the kink in his back. Once he heard a satisfying pop, he made his way to the front. When he looked through the peephole, a surprised gasp escaped his lips.
Without any hesitation, Riley unlocked the door and was greeted with the smiling visage of one Steven Stone.
“Steven? What on Arceus green earth are you doing all the way here in Sinnoh? At this hour I might add?” Riley asked automatically, his mind still processing the fact that one of his close friends was indeed standing in front of him.
“I was in the area and decided to swing by,” was his easy reply.
Riley wanted to ask more -- why were you in the area in the first place? -- but then he properly took in the state of Steven’s aura. The colors showed signs of... distress. Sadness, even. Now that he stepped back and really look at his friend, he looked somewhat haggard in appearance. The smile on his lips now looked a bit insincere, as if he was just forcing it for the sake of looking like nothing was wrong.
But something is wrong. Riley felt concern bubbling within him but outwardly, he returned the smile with a small one of his own. He stepped aside to let his friend enter. “Come on in. The journey here must have been tiring. I can make you some tea, if you want. It’ll go well with the cookies I have...”
When Steven’s smile looked a little more genuine, Riley knew he was doing something right. If Steven needed a friend right now, he was more than willing to step in and help him out in any way that he could.
