emsiecat
March 13th, 2008, 06:25 pm
Chapter 12:
Liana sat in her uncle's boat by the dock. It was early morning and Meowth was asking for the hundredth time if he could come with her and see the mainland.
"I don't think Mewtwo would like that, squirt." She smiled and ruffled the fur on his head affectionately as he pouted.
She was just waiting for Mewtwo. To save the girl the effort of rowing back to the mainland, he had offered to teleport both her and the boat there. He claimed it would save them time.
Mewtwo overheard Meowth's plea and shook his head slightly amused as he exited the castle. He couldn't condone Meowth going. Not only would he become more attached to those filthy humans, but he knew the clones well enough that if he allowed Meowth to leave the others would want to as well. They were so like children at times!
~Stand back, Meowth.~ Meowth sighed and stepped away from the dock.
Liana squirmed nervously in her seat. She'd never been teleported before. Mewtwo turned his gaze onto the boat and his eyes started to glow an icy blue. Liana screwed her own eyes shut as an aura of a similar hue surrounded the boat and herself. She felt a strange tugging sensation, spinning, then a strange feeling like she was dematerialising, and suddenly it all stopped.
Cautiously opening one eye Liana found herself still sat in the boat but the surroundings had changed. There was no island, no dock, no castle and no Pokémon, just softly lapping waves breaking on the beach of the mainland.
Was that all a dream? Was I even there? Did I just fall asleep in uncle's boat?
As if to fortify that it was not a dream, Liana found that her hand was curled around something. She held it up to her face to study it more closely. A thin golden chain with a deep amethyst pendant strung onto it.
Liana looked at it quizzically wondering briefly where it had come from. It certainly wasn't in the boat before she'd left! If I think too much on it now then I won't know what to think. She decided.
She ran a thumb over the cool gem and felt it tingle beneath her skin. She shrugged and slipped the chain over her head. There was no reason not to keep the necklace with her; she felt no malice from it.
Stepping out of the boat Liana tied it up in its usual place and began the short trek back towards her village. She'd have to be quiet about it though, if she was to return to New Island she didn't want too many people knowing of her return.
***
Lucinda and Rhys had had a boring couple of months. After their chat with Maria and Stefan they had resigned Liana's wellbeing to fate and hoped to the Gods that she was safe. There was nothing to do now but get on with life they had decided.
So it was that the pair was again in the forest foraging for fruits and other edible plants to take back to the village.
Rhys was hanging in his usual gravity-defying and stomach-turning way as he tried to hack down some branches full of berries. Lucinda was on the ground scanning the area for edible mushrooms.
"Oh our poor sweet Liana! How she used to love fruit picking!" Rhys called down in mock melodrama.
Whereas Lucinda still feared for their friend, Rhys seemed to think everything was just fine. Like Liana had gone off on holiday rather than been kidnapped by a psychotic Pokémon.
Before Lucinda could answer back with a sharp tongued remark someone new interrupted her, "Actually I bloody hated that chore."
Rhys squealed comically and almost fell from his perch. Lucinda dropped her basket and turned with her mouth agape.
There, with her bow, arrows and bag slung on her back, her arms folded and eyebrow raised in an amused gesture, was Liana.
"Oh my Gawd, Lili it's you!"
Liana squeaked as Lucinda threw herself into her arms in a huge bear hug. She must have been really worried to pull out that old baby nickname. Liana grimaced.
"Are you okay? Where were you? We were worried sick! I swear if you've been hurt I'm gonna-"
Liana laughed and hugged Lucinda back cutting off her rant, "I'm fine Luce, really."
Lucinda looked her over critically as if assessing that matter for herself. When she was satisfied that Liana did in fact have all her limbs and didn't appear to be harmed, she stepped back to let Rhys approach (he'd finally scrambled down out of the tree).
"Buenos dais girly, whassup?" Rhys tried to act cool but the choking one armed hug that came next spoke volumes, he'd been worried too.
"Your language skills suck, Rhys. Lemme go." Liana chuckled.
Like Lucinda he too looked her over. He smiled at her with great happiness, bent down and picked up Lucinda's forgotten basket, and quickly shoved it at the bemused girl in front of him.
"You owe me at least ten shifts!" he growled in mock anger.
"Good luck with that, I'm not staying that long." Liana hadn't meant it to come out so bluntly but if she waited around she'd only find more reasons to stay.
"W-what do you mean?"
Liana sighed and began to explain to them. How she was kidnapped and made to work like a dogsbody. How she had slowly befriended the clones. How Mewtwo wasn't quite so bad anymore, and finally, how a new problem had presented itself in the form of a Phoenix.
Far from being concerned about the Phoenix, Lucinda and Rhys seemed more worried about their friend's sanity.
"Medic quick, we've got a case of Stockholm syndrome!" Despite Rhys's joking manner, his eyes were wide.
"You helped to heal him, are you nuts, girl!?" Lucinda vented.
"I'm not crazy, I promise, and Rhys I don't have Stockholm syndrome you dolt! This is important weren't you two listening? Someone has been bringing creatures through from the Gods Realm!"
Lucinda glanced at her friend sceptically, Rhys looked more convinced but still troubled. This whole situation was insane.
"I need to talk to Maria. If someone's flouting the ancient decree then it's trouble for us all. Even Mewtwo looked concerned about it."
Rhys scratched his head before sighing, "Look we'll take you to Maria, but this is nuts Liana."
Liana made to interrupt but Rhys held up a hand and grinned.
"What I mean to say is. Helping the psycho clone sounds like fun. Count me in." he winked and Liana felt she probably could have kissed him.
Lucinda just stood there sputtering for a few moments. "You're both crazy! Don't you remember what it's been like, the raids, the fear? What if he decides after this he's gonna go back to killing us anyway?"
"Then we'll be no better or worse off than we are now. But if we let this person continue to breach the higher planes we're gonna have a whole lot more trouble on our hands." Liana stated logically.
Lucinda sighed exasperatedly. On the one hand she was mad at Liana for helping Mewtwo, the Pokémon that had tormented them all for so long. On the other the girl was itching for adventure and to back up her friends like always.
"God damnit Liana if I die helping you in this cause, I swear I'm gonna come back and haunt you both!"
Liana merely shrieked happily and threw her arms around Lucinda, "Thank you so much, Luce!"
Lucinda blushed, embarrassed that she'd given in so easily.
Liana sat in her uncle's boat by the dock. It was early morning and Meowth was asking for the hundredth time if he could come with her and see the mainland.
"I don't think Mewtwo would like that, squirt." She smiled and ruffled the fur on his head affectionately as he pouted.
She was just waiting for Mewtwo. To save the girl the effort of rowing back to the mainland, he had offered to teleport both her and the boat there. He claimed it would save them time.
Mewtwo overheard Meowth's plea and shook his head slightly amused as he exited the castle. He couldn't condone Meowth going. Not only would he become more attached to those filthy humans, but he knew the clones well enough that if he allowed Meowth to leave the others would want to as well. They were so like children at times!
~Stand back, Meowth.~ Meowth sighed and stepped away from the dock.
Liana squirmed nervously in her seat. She'd never been teleported before. Mewtwo turned his gaze onto the boat and his eyes started to glow an icy blue. Liana screwed her own eyes shut as an aura of a similar hue surrounded the boat and herself. She felt a strange tugging sensation, spinning, then a strange feeling like she was dematerialising, and suddenly it all stopped.
Cautiously opening one eye Liana found herself still sat in the boat but the surroundings had changed. There was no island, no dock, no castle and no Pokémon, just softly lapping waves breaking on the beach of the mainland.
Was that all a dream? Was I even there? Did I just fall asleep in uncle's boat?
As if to fortify that it was not a dream, Liana found that her hand was curled around something. She held it up to her face to study it more closely. A thin golden chain with a deep amethyst pendant strung onto it.
Liana looked at it quizzically wondering briefly where it had come from. It certainly wasn't in the boat before she'd left! If I think too much on it now then I won't know what to think. She decided.
She ran a thumb over the cool gem and felt it tingle beneath her skin. She shrugged and slipped the chain over her head. There was no reason not to keep the necklace with her; she felt no malice from it.
Stepping out of the boat Liana tied it up in its usual place and began the short trek back towards her village. She'd have to be quiet about it though, if she was to return to New Island she didn't want too many people knowing of her return.
***
Lucinda and Rhys had had a boring couple of months. After their chat with Maria and Stefan they had resigned Liana's wellbeing to fate and hoped to the Gods that she was safe. There was nothing to do now but get on with life they had decided.
So it was that the pair was again in the forest foraging for fruits and other edible plants to take back to the village.
Rhys was hanging in his usual gravity-defying and stomach-turning way as he tried to hack down some branches full of berries. Lucinda was on the ground scanning the area for edible mushrooms.
"Oh our poor sweet Liana! How she used to love fruit picking!" Rhys called down in mock melodrama.
Whereas Lucinda still feared for their friend, Rhys seemed to think everything was just fine. Like Liana had gone off on holiday rather than been kidnapped by a psychotic Pokémon.
Before Lucinda could answer back with a sharp tongued remark someone new interrupted her, "Actually I bloody hated that chore."
Rhys squealed comically and almost fell from his perch. Lucinda dropped her basket and turned with her mouth agape.
There, with her bow, arrows and bag slung on her back, her arms folded and eyebrow raised in an amused gesture, was Liana.
"Oh my Gawd, Lili it's you!"
Liana squeaked as Lucinda threw herself into her arms in a huge bear hug. She must have been really worried to pull out that old baby nickname. Liana grimaced.
"Are you okay? Where were you? We were worried sick! I swear if you've been hurt I'm gonna-"
Liana laughed and hugged Lucinda back cutting off her rant, "I'm fine Luce, really."
Lucinda looked her over critically as if assessing that matter for herself. When she was satisfied that Liana did in fact have all her limbs and didn't appear to be harmed, she stepped back to let Rhys approach (he'd finally scrambled down out of the tree).
"Buenos dais girly, whassup?" Rhys tried to act cool but the choking one armed hug that came next spoke volumes, he'd been worried too.
"Your language skills suck, Rhys. Lemme go." Liana chuckled.
Like Lucinda he too looked her over. He smiled at her with great happiness, bent down and picked up Lucinda's forgotten basket, and quickly shoved it at the bemused girl in front of him.
"You owe me at least ten shifts!" he growled in mock anger.
"Good luck with that, I'm not staying that long." Liana hadn't meant it to come out so bluntly but if she waited around she'd only find more reasons to stay.
"W-what do you mean?"
Liana sighed and began to explain to them. How she was kidnapped and made to work like a dogsbody. How she had slowly befriended the clones. How Mewtwo wasn't quite so bad anymore, and finally, how a new problem had presented itself in the form of a Phoenix.
Far from being concerned about the Phoenix, Lucinda and Rhys seemed more worried about their friend's sanity.
"Medic quick, we've got a case of Stockholm syndrome!" Despite Rhys's joking manner, his eyes were wide.
"You helped to heal him, are you nuts, girl!?" Lucinda vented.
"I'm not crazy, I promise, and Rhys I don't have Stockholm syndrome you dolt! This is important weren't you two listening? Someone has been bringing creatures through from the Gods Realm!"
Lucinda glanced at her friend sceptically, Rhys looked more convinced but still troubled. This whole situation was insane.
"I need to talk to Maria. If someone's flouting the ancient decree then it's trouble for us all. Even Mewtwo looked concerned about it."
Rhys scratched his head before sighing, "Look we'll take you to Maria, but this is nuts Liana."
Liana made to interrupt but Rhys held up a hand and grinned.
"What I mean to say is. Helping the psycho clone sounds like fun. Count me in." he winked and Liana felt she probably could have kissed him.
Lucinda just stood there sputtering for a few moments. "You're both crazy! Don't you remember what it's been like, the raids, the fear? What if he decides after this he's gonna go back to killing us anyway?"
"Then we'll be no better or worse off than we are now. But if we let this person continue to breach the higher planes we're gonna have a whole lot more trouble on our hands." Liana stated logically.
Lucinda sighed exasperatedly. On the one hand she was mad at Liana for helping Mewtwo, the Pokémon that had tormented them all for so long. On the other the girl was itching for adventure and to back up her friends like always.
"God damnit Liana if I die helping you in this cause, I swear I'm gonna come back and haunt you both!"
Liana merely shrieked happily and threw her arms around Lucinda, "Thank you so much, Luce!"
Lucinda blushed, embarrassed that she'd given in so easily.