Chapter 19: Retreat

Despite her own and Aria's reassurances, Anne couldn't say she was as confident about meeting the Gardevoir's husband as she wished she could. Both because meeting new people never came easy to her, and because of the presumed looks of this particular person, as bad as it felt to admit that to herself. As worried as the human girl was, though, the Braixen was there for her.

And that was enough to make even the hardest struggles feel feasible.

"^D-don't worry Anne, Mr. Garret is r-really nice!^"

The taller girl nodded subconsciously at the reassurance; a weak shake went through her body as she leaned further into the fox.

"~I-I know. I'm... I-I'm worried about how I'll react, t-too...~"

"^I'm sure Mr. Garret will u-understand i-if you're a bit taken aback.^"

"~I g-guess...~"

Anne wished the exchange made her feel more confident. What words had failed at, though, a gentle, warm hug was doing a wonderful job of making up for.

The muffled sounds coming from behind the room's entrance made Anne grab her bearings and try to steady her breath. Her shaky hand held Ember's paw close as Aria slid the canvas flap off to the side. First the Gardevoir, and then...

The guest of honor.

With how terrible the lighting was in the room, it was hard to make out more than a handful of details. White fangs, bits of not-black skin on the face, ears, and angled eyes. Beyond them, a bipedal-shaped darkness that actively sucked the surrounding light in, sticking out from the dark brown canvas behind.

And then the darkness spoke, its voice a harsh, demonic snarl.

With a stutter.

"G-good evening, Anne."

The whiplash between the intimidation of Garret's voice and the utter meekness of the meaning it conveyed slapped Anne across the face. Parables of deceiving looks were a mainstay in the books she'd read, be it for class or on her own, but this example was so much more stark than anything else she'd ever seen. And really affable while at it.

"~Good e-evening, Mr. Garret.~"

"Oh, no need for titles, sweetie. I've heard you've had a fun day with the kids!"

Underneath the growls, fierce enough to stop Leo in his tracks, was a genuine curiosity. The kind that made Anne fluster a bit.

"~Y-yeah. I've had a lot of fun, I-I'm really glad they came over.~"

By then, there was no more risk of Cadence perking up to interject with the Kirlia having finally called it quits for the night, leaning on the vixen's other side. The sight of both his biological kids and the Gligar under his care snoozing after a long day of playing around brought a wide smile to the Grimmsnarl's face. Unfortunately, what those closest to him saw as a 'wide smile' most others just thought of as 'baring fangs', and elaboration to convey his happiness was in order.

"That's wonderful~! I see quite a few drawings strewn around, too. Did you guys draw each other?"

"~M-mostly it was me drawing others...~"

"^And really really nicely too!^"

Ember's telepathic comment, conveyed to Garret through his wife, didn't help much with Anne's fluster. What it was very effective at, though, was diffusing even more tension in the room through the form of amused chuckles by anyone but the embarrassed and the asleep.

"~I-I like to think so...~"

"I'm sure they're great, Anne! Mind if I take a look?"

A direct request spurred the girl to action; the 'nice' part of her responded before any of the fears clouding the rest of her could catch up. Within moments, she was sweeping assorted items away from a large patch of the bed immediately beside her to free up space. It was only once she had to say the accompanying line out loud that she realized what she was in for, but by then, her self-consciousness had declared it to be too late.

"~Sure, p-please t-take a seat...~"

Garret was taken no less off guard by that than Anne, leaving him at an impasse about what to do next. He wasn't in the position to be asking, but his wife was, thankfully, speaking up directly to Anne with a telepathic whisper.

"^Are you sure, Anne? You don't have to if you feel uncomfortable, he'll understand.^"

Was it a good idea to rush it, even with the demon turning out to be incomparably nicer than his looks showed? Probably not. Did Anne feel capable of it?

By then... yeah.

Ember was beside her; Mrs. Aria was here; Marco was here; Cadence, Bell, and even Elric were here too, if asleep. Not all of those factors were equally relevant in the moment, but they all helped the human girl with keeping her cool. A couple deeper breaths later, she nodded, squeezing Ember's paw.

The Grimmsnarl only barely convinced himself to try, either. He wanted to avoid a bad first impression more than anything else in the world, and rushing was how one ran into those face-first. But... he, too, was willing to give it a shot. His wife was there, and Anne clearly trusted her. Things would be alright.

"Okay, Anne. Right here?"

"~Mmhm.~"

Anne had no idea how all the other kids remained asleep after Garret sent ripples through the bed by sitting down, but she wasn't complaining. Neither was she complaining about the bulky, hairy demon respecting her space, even when sitting beside her. He was making a clear effort to avoid any unwanted touch despite all the hair, managing to swoop the nearest stack of paper with unexpected dexterity.

All the while, the human girl took Garret's towering appearance in. His fur was matte black, looking more a uniform void than ndividual strands. It was impossible to overstate how massive he was, too, sitting beside her with a broad build and a full head of height on her.

Before Anne could focus on any more unnerving appearance details, though, he brought the first drawing in front of her.

"Oh goodness, that's lovely! Cadence must've liked it a lot~."

Despite the tension she was trying her hardest to work through, Anne couldn't help but chuckle out loud. Chuckle, and nod, and sneak a brief glimpse at the sleeping fairy, the action making the latter squirm in her sleep a bit.

"~You've n-no idea, M... Garret.~"

In any other situation, the Grimmsnarl wouldn't have wasted his time before patting the uncertain person on the back and reassuring them. Considering just who this particular person was, though, a more reserved approach was in order.

"It's all okay, sweetie. If you feel more comfortable with a title, use it. I don't mind either way."

Right.

It was only by the power of utmost self-control that Anne stopped herself from saying 'sorry' there and then.

"^I can i-imagine how giddy she was to see it, hehe...^"

Ember's one-eyed scan of the page brought her no fewer smiles than the Dark-type demon. Anne couldn't disagree, chuckling with a faint nod.

"~Yeah, she r-really was.~"

As nice as the ongoing discussion was, Anne knew that if it remained on this course, it would eventually steer towards her. A distraction was in order.

One that Garret didn't even need to be asked to provide.

He reached over further into the bed to pull his kids onto his lap, holding them close with his arm and hair alike. The scene was more adorable than it had any right to be, especially once Bell mumbled in his sleep at having the spot between his horns scritched. It also raised some questions by proxy, though, ones that Anne hoped wouldn't be over the line or anything.

"~I-if it's okay for me to ask... how did you and M-Mrs. Aria meet?~"

The question perked both halves of the couple up as Marco joined in with a faint chuckle.

"^Goodness, it's been a long time now, hasn't it?^"

"It really has, honey. And I enjoyed all of it~."

Garret's flattery had his wife roll her eyes as the two awake girls exchanged quiet giggles and awwws.

"As to how it began... it must be well over ten years ago by now, doesn't it?"

"^Let me think-^"

"Thirteen."

Marco's answer cut his sister off. As glad as she was about being saved from having to count individual years, the somber, low tone with which the Gallade had said it didn't go unnoticed.

Neither was it a surprise, considering just what exactly had led them to join the fledgling village.

"Thirteen it is then~! I've been living here with Autumn for many years by that point."

"^Oh oh, what d-did you do then, M-Mr. Garret?^"

"Same as today, Ember- helped with construction and repair. Gotta put all the strength to a good use after all~! But but but, we're getting off track. I remember watching Rose escort them both into the village, and I just couldn't get my eyes off them."

Anne was unaware of the name, but followed intently along all the same.

"Course, wasn't about to jump over in the middle of putting up a wall, but I kept looking around. Then, one day, after gathering my courage for a while, I approached Marco and asked if he'd like to have a drink at Viv's, after he figured out how to link to me."

"Wait, you did?"

The Gallade's surprised comment helped abate some of his earlier gloom. Garret had to focus on keeping his roaring laughter in to not wake the rest of the clinic up. Or, at least, hold as much of it in as he could.

"Yes I did, Marco! Do you really not remember?"

"I..."

A pang of grief went through the knight's expression at that moment. It was banished shortly after with a deep inhale as Marco switched to telepathy to maintain composure.

"^I don't recall much from that time. What'd I say?^"

"Well~ you were entirely oblivious and said you didn't have the time."

Another, more controlled wave of chuckling; the Gallade left rolling his eyes as he sat on the floor.

"^Romance just slides off you it seems~.^"

Marco couldn't disagree with his sister's comment. He didn't agree with it either; the words plunging him into much more thought than was intended. The resulting silence left the rest of the room uncertain as Aria walked over to him, just in case. Movement this close up finally stirred him out of his confusion, leaving him sighing as he slowly picked himself up onto his feet.

"^You're... not wrong. I don't think I've ever felt these sorts of emotions, towards anyone. I've no idea how they even feel like, really.^"

Before the Gallade could elaborate any further, he found himself pulled into a tight hug by his sister. As awkward as their spacing was by necessity, with their horns ending up pressed to the side of the other's torsos, it didn't make the result any less genuine.

Or appreciated by the recipient.

"^Nothing wrong with that, bro.^"

"^I know, I know, I know, it's... guess I just really never thought of it like that before.^"

"I hope putting it that way helps then, Marco."

"^It...^"

As the Gallade quickly went through his memories for more fodder towards the building realization, one very recent event stuck out to him. One that sounded like a repeat of what Garret had described. It even involved a fairy, too.

Something to ponder on later, in any case.

"^...it really does. Thanks, Aria.^"

"^Anytime, Marco.^"

"Anyway~! I can't say I wasn't discouraged after that, but I tried not to let it get to me. I remember walking through the streets, looking for the other recent arrival, worrying about how I'd come off. And then, I finally spotted Aria. I believe you were talking with Holly when it happened, honey?"

"^Sounds about right.^"

"So~! I gathered my bearings, took a deep breath, put on a bit of Swagger-"

"^So that's why you tripped on thin air!^"

"Honey!"

Laughter once more, Anne in particular having to keep her tired giggling from growing too loud at the mental image. Something that Ember failed at, holding her friend tighter with each raspy, howly sound. Despite being put on the spot, Garret took it in stride, joining in on the amusement.

"Yes, yes, I tripped and fell in front of you two and made a scene, ha. You helped me up, Holly brought us some drinks, we got to chatting. And the rest is history."

The last sentence was quieter and warmer; accompanied by the demon dad holding his kids closer to him, tiny tendrils of hair stroking their cheeks. As sweet as the situation was, the accompanying peace making Anne slump in her spot more and more, there remained some unexplained parts. Ones that Ember in particular wanted a further glimpse of.

"^Awwww. Oh, Mrs. Aria, wh-where did you and Mr. M-Marco come from?^"

Despite the innocence of the question, the psychic vixen felt the air in the room grow colder at her words. Not directly at her, not by a long shot. Instead, at the unspoken part of the story being brought to light, one that not even Garret knew more than an outline of. Ember was of half a mind to speak up again just to reassure the siblings that they didn't have to go into it, but by then, Aria had already spoken up.

"^We... we were raised in a tiny commune, rather far from here. It was our and a couple other psychic families sharing a burrow, and not much beyond that.^"

The answer accounted for 'where', but not for the much more important 'why'. Aria was well aware of that, holding the Gallade closer as she fought to figure out how much of the truth to convey. And, ever more importantly, how much of it her brother wanted to convey. Ultimately, the course of action was obvious.

Just let Marco explain as much as he's comfortable with.

"^As to why we left. Our- our parents were... rather strict. They...^"

Not a single sound filled the small room as the Gallade gathered his words. His eyelids were trying their hardest to get rid of any building moisture, succeeding only partially.

"^They loved us in their own way. They had a very... specific idea for what we should do and be in our lives. Regardless of what we actually wanted. And if we disagreed...^"

Marco looked down at his arm. At how differently it looked from that of his sister.

"^...they would force their vision upon us anyway.^"

"^Most of it was tiny things. Until, one night, they went too far, much too far. When Marco realized what they'd done in the morning, I grabbed provisions and left with him on the spot. Our journey was long and very difficult at times, but eventually, we made our way here.^"

The trek itself was little more than a traumatic blur in both siblings' minds. Struggle for survival, wrestling with a new body, having no idea if there even was safety at the end of their invisible path.

A kind of hell neither of them would ever wish on anyone else.

The vagueness of their description left a part of Ember curious to ask more. The rest of the vixen, though, knew better than to investigate into such a clearly loaded topic, leaning to hold Anne closer instead.

And realizing that the human girl was already halfway asleep, and had been resting against the Grimmsnarl for an unspecified amount of time.

As heavy as the siblings' recollection was, the unexpected sight of the skittish girl leaning on the massive Dark-type was no less appreciated as the result, triply so once the psychics had noticed it. Aria and Marco alike had to hold in chuckles at the sight as the former approached with a smile on her face. Garret didn't dare move throughout, simultaneously amused and taken aback, worrying about startling the human once she realized her position.

"^Anne?^"

"~Mmmmmmhhhhhmmm...~"

The slow opening of the girl's eyes that accompanied her response was finished instantly once her brain had connected the dots. She had no idea how to respond in all honesty, simply stiffening as she leaned on Garret, hoping futilely that he hadn't noticed her.

Nothing that Aria's gentle pet on the cheek couldn't fix.

Especially when accompanied by another psychic whisper.

"^Don't worry sweetie, Garret doesn't mind~. Are you okay?^"

"~I... I'm really tired, I think...~"

Anne's response was a barely audible whisper as her body slowly unclenched. She truly hoped she hadn't made the Grimmsnarl uncomfortable. In part because goodness, did this feel nice. She expected the demon's fur to be oily and unpleasant to the touch. Instead, it was dry, well kept, and not even that rough, though still a far cry from how soft Ember was. It felt right; it felt safe; it felt...

...like a dad should feel.

As insightful and yet scary thought as that was, neither Aria nor Anne had the time to think about it more. The night security had just shown up, after all.

"Gooooood evening there, darlings. How's everyone holding up?"

Sprout accompanied her whistled greeting with a quick visual sweep of the room. Lovely sights all around, just as she'd expected, especially with all the sleeping and only-barely-not-sleeping kids.

"^Very, very ready to get some rest.^"

"Ha, that much I can tell, hun. How's Anne doing?"

"~I'm sleepy.~"

The Decidueye didn't expect to hear the girl's voice. It was the most enjoyable of surprises, though. Her beak twisted into the closest thing to a smile it was capable of as she scooted over towards the human girl, even giving her a small wave with it.

"Hello Anne dear! I'm Sprout, and I'll be watching over you tonight, just in case. It's lovely to meet you, sweetie!"

Anne took a hot minute to figure out what she was supposed to do with Sprout's outstretched wing. Exhaustion didn't help, and neither did the apprehension accompanied by having a Decidueye watch over her. As lovely as Blossom had been earlier, the jump in both size and lethality from a Dartrix to a Decidueye was... immense. She knew she shouldn't have been thinking about things like these, not with how kind the mons all around were, but her tired mind had other ideas.

Sprout was no psychic, but her hearing was good enough to make up for that fact. At least, to an extent. In most contexts, someone's heart rate going up had too many possible reasons to ascribe a concrete one to it. Here, though... it wasn't exactly difficult to piece together the connection between Anne spotting her and exhibiting all the different aspects of a stress response. Especially with the owl's body being attuned to sensing them.

Whether the owl herself wanted it to or not.

Anne wasn't about to not try harder herself, though. Her breath shook as she sat up straight and gave Sprout a small wave. Pushing through the fog of tiredness took effort she could only barely muster, but someone being nice enough to look after her deserved it.

"~H-h-hello, Mrs. Sprout. Th-th-thank you f-for looking after m-me...~"

As hard as she tried to hold her composure, she wasn't exactly doing a good job at it. Suppose it only made sense to apologize with that in mind...

"~I-I'm sorry-~"

"Shhhhhhhh~."

The Decidueye's half-whistled shush was accompanied by the world's swiftest hug. Anne hadn't even realized what had happened until she blinked, only to find her face pressing itself into the owl's leafy shoulder, with the rest of her body surrounded by the softest plumage she'd ever felt.

She was too tired to even get startled, auto-piloting to an exhausted nod.

"It's all good, sweetie~. Blossom had mentioned you gettin' a tad scared when she flew in, sorry for giving you another scare. I promise I'm not as scary as I look, ha!"

Sprout's frankness helped melt through much of Anne's worries as her bed was being emptied around her. By the time the Decidueye had let go, the human girl had found herself alone on the bedding. All the assorted drawings and drawing tools had been moved to the nightstand; Elric had joined the rest of his denmates in Garret's arms; and the lil' fiery vixen was standing beside Aria, waving over at her best friend.

"^It's high time for us to head home, Anne. I'll come to check up on you tomorrow.^"

"^M-me too! I'll come over a-as early as I can, I promise!^"

Both Aria's and Ember's reassurances had the human's smile grow wider in her tiredness. Despite the chaos of the past couple of days, despite all the unknowns that persisted... she felt safe. So much safer than she thought she ever would.

"~G-good night!~"

The feeling persisted even once everyone but the Decidueye had left. Sprout extinguished the last of the Will-o'-Wisps with an offhand wing gesture, the message very clear. A smile remained glued on Anne's face as she laid down and got comfortable under the rough covers. Preparing to rest in a village full of feral mons, so far away from what used to be her home.

The two red pinpricks she saw in the room's corner didn't help at first. Once they'd hopped over and carefully pet her forehead with a couple of very soft, mobile feathers, though, Anne suddenly found it much harder to be genuinely afraid of them.

She was safe; she was cared for.

Aria was looking after her.

Nothing would ever go wrong again.

Ember quickly split up to head to her mom's den following the group's departure, leaving just the three awake adults to make their way through the village's mostly asleep streets. The occasional Dark and Ghost types passed their greetings now and again. For the most part, though, their journey was uneventful and in almost complete silence, the adults no less immune to the ever creeping exhaustion than the human girl they'd just left.

It was only after a good few minutes that the first words were finally exchanged.

Or rather, bodily sounds, specifically those of Aria's stomach rumbling.

"Really hope we have something to eat at home."

"When I left, mom was preparing something for us to have once we get back."

"Oh good. Today was a lot, and the last thing I need is to go to bed hungry..."

Before Aria's words could linger in the air for too long, the Gardevoir found herself getting swept off the ground and held close in her husband's arm, adding to his tally of all the other smaller creatures he was carrying.

"You've been doing great, honey. I believe in you, and so does Anne~."

"I know, I know. Just-"

"Marcoooo~!"

The squeaky, floaty voice stopped the tired band mid-step as they all turned to face its source. Neither of them were expecting to see the Wigglytuff so late into the evening, and especially not with clear signs of inebriation, but Jovan was hopping over towards them all the same.

"Good evening, Jovan."

"Hello, hello Aria, Garret~. Care for a chat, Marco~?"

The Fairy-type's voice was somehow even flirtier than usual, the significance lost upon its intended recipient. Again. The Gallade might've overlooked the tone, but following his internal realization earlier at the clinic, he was starting to suspect the purpose of Jovan's occasional chats.

And as unpleasant as it would inevitably be to say, he knew he should come clear about it all.

"I- s-sure, Jovan. Did something happen?"

"Oh, hardly~. I was just thinking about whether you'd want to swing by Viv's place tomorrow? Together~?"

The Gallade had lost count of all the times the Wigglytuff had asked him a question in that vein. If what he was suspecting was true, if Jovan's questions weren't for the purpose of just looking for platonic company... then a clarification was long overdue.

The knight could only hope it wouldn't be taken too badly.

"J-Jovan, I... I have to come clear with something-"

"You're straight~?"

"What- no, no, of course not. It's- it's more like I'm... neither. I didn't even realize you were trying to ask me out in that way..."

Aria was about to roll her eyes at her brother, not noticing it for so long... but at the same time, it's not like Jovan's thoughts were straightforward, either. They kept shifting around in a confusing, hard to follow way, almost like the fairy was making it deliberately difficult to pick up on his motives. What went under his brain might've been trickier to piece together than it should've been, but how he felt about Marco's confession was very clear to sense.

Utter, immense,

Relief.

"Oh, thank goodness~. I was so worried you'd been playing hard to get all along and that I was just messing everything up~!"

"And here I am, taking a clue after my first case of cold shoulder..."

Garret's interjection sent his wife giggling as his brother-in-law rolled his eyes. Jovan, however, immediately tried to explain himself.

"He wasn't saying 'no' or anything! Neither 'yes' nor 'no', hardly a sign either way with such an obvious approach. I thought I just had to try harder!"

"And then you just... kept going?"

Marco's question stopped the Wigglytuff in his tracks. The blush that sprouted on his lavender cheeks might not have been visible in the dark, but his embarrassment was clear to hear all the same.

"...you look good, you know~?"

On a cue, the fluster ball was passed from the balloon to the knight, the latter left just as stunned as the former was moments prior.

"Um- I-"

'Good' was the absolute last word Marco would've ever used to describe his appearance. 'Misshapen' and 'incorrect', sure, but definitely not 'good'. The sheer mismatch between that perception and how he felt about his looks inside was a bountiful pile of fuel for self-loathing.

Ready to be ignited to take its carrier down with it.

Thankfully, Marco was too exhausted to be playing with mental matches, skipping straight to the most banal of answers.

"Thanks, Jovan."

"You're welcome, Marco~. Seems I'll have to look around some more. Well~ suppose with that over, we'd all rather get some snooze time than stand out in the cold for any longer. Sleep well, you all~. And especially you, Marco~."

"Worst case, you can always try tripping in front of someone to catch their attention!"

Jovan didn't get the reference in Garret's joke, but laughed together with the rest of the group all the same.

"Sounds painful~. Guess it's just what one has to do to get a date nowadays, ha! In any case, goodnight~."

"Goodnight, Jovan."

"Good luck on your search!"

"T-take care, Jovan."

With the fairy hopping away, the amused mood could spread throughout the gathering, sending them into brief bursts of giggling from time to time. At imagining Jovan's past antics, at imagining Marco's stone faced responses, and in the Gallade's case, at not piecing it all together sooner. Both about Jovan and himself. Guess having a hard time even conceptualizing oneself without all sorts of mental sludge creeping up would do that to him, but it was still amusing to think about.

It'd help going forward, that's for sure.

By the time the last of the trio had finished chuckling to themselves, the group was already home, making their way down the burrow's stairs to a company of nourishing aromas and oh-so-welcome warmth.

"There you all are! I was of half a mind to march over there myself."

Autumn's voice had only avoided the exhaustion that had claimed everyone else by the virtue of having other things to be giddy about. Her dating life was a distant second thought in the moment, though, doubly so with her family cold and hungry.

As Garret and Aria laid their kids and Elric to bed, Marco helped his mom-in-law with pouring hearty portions of stew for the entire family. It was too late and too cold outside to be worrying about setting up a table, especially since a large, shared blanket for them all to huddle under would work just as well, if not even better.

Moments later, they were all seated and making their way through their portion. The warmth sure didn't help any with tiredness, but now that the family finally had a moment to get each other up to speed about what was happening to and around Anne, rest was the last thing on their mind.

"^How'd explaining humans to the little ones go, mom?^"

Aria's question had the Indeedee stretch in her seat as she went through the events of the day in her head. Some of them were much more pleasant than others, but those weren't the most important ones. Those came much earlier. Not perfectly good, but hardly bad, either.

"Overall? Quite well. I risked a bit with dragging Geiger in to help, but thankfully, he knew exactly what to say. Stressed about how humans aren't different from us individually and many are good people, even if their world at large remains dangerous."

"And all the little ones went along with it?" - Garret's surprised question made his mom shake her head and elaborate.

"I wish. I'd say most of them were ambivalent. After all, Anne would just be another kid joining them in the end. As good of an attitude as I can expect from most. There were quite a few kids eager to help and curious, thankfully."

"^Like Blossom?^"

"She too, but also Zephyr, Grace, Mint, even Lyn, some others. There were one or two kids that were rather openly antagonistic too, sadly, Hawthorne the worst of them."

Considering the abuse the Espurr's parent had endured from humanity, it really was no surprise to see her opposing Anne this vocally. Autumn always found herself consternated when thinking about all this. It wasn't like Hawthorne's hostility made no sense, but at the same time... her parent didn't act like this. He was the one who had actually suffered, and yet, she couldn't ever remember the Meowstic remarking about humans at all, in a hostile way or not.

Despite the cruelty they had inflicted upon him being very clear to see.

"^That makes sense. Aiming to convince everyone is no less foolish amongst the kids than it is among the adults. Though...^"

Aria paused mid sentence, her mind not liking the difficulty of the task she was thinking of in the slightest.

"^Someone talking with Max about all of this would be a good idea. Just so that once the vote comes, he won't be the immediate example for those opposing Anne staying here to point to-^"

"...vote?"

Garret's confounded question sent a shared agonized wince throughout the rest of the family. It was inarguably the right choice to take a moment and make sure everyone's on the same page, but sadly, it also meant recounting the cruelty of those who should've known better.

Again.

"^That's... one of the topics I meant when I mentioned things being wrong. The Elders had decided to put Anne's ultimate fate to a vote amongst the scouts.^"

A glance over at the Grimmsnarl revealed his aghast expression at the news. He almost dropped his bowl as he stared at his wife, her solemn nod acting as all the confirmation he could ever need.

"How could they!?"

"^I-I wish I knew, Garret...^"

The sadness in Aria's voice petered out any anger in the Dark-type before it could build upon itself; the tension released with a weary sigh. Whether he liked it or not, and he most definitely hated it, this was what they had to deal with.

And with that in mind, it only made sense to catch up on how the vote was looking in the present.

"I-I see. How do you think it's looking, honey?"

"^It's very up in the air. Thirteen votes in total, we need seven. Me, Marco, Rose, Sprout, and Cypress are certain to vote in Anne's favor. At the same time, Winnie is absolutely voting against, and so is Lumi. I haven't had a chance to talk about this with Lucere, but I'm suspecting a similar attitude. Same with Ana. Bloody, senile Torkoal...^"

Aria caught herself before she could wind up any further. Deep breath, another spoonful of stew, continue.

"^It leaves Celia, Lariat, Ori, and Ruby. The last time I spoke with the latter two was before the vote. I remember Ori feeling very hesitant about it all, but not hostile or anything. Ruby spoke up with myself and Sprout at our meeting, but that's hardly a confirmation of intent, either. Celia... I have no idea. She's the one who'd delayed the vote, which makes me think she'll be against, too.^"

"^Terribly hypocritical of her if that's the case...^"

Autumn's mental voice was as grumbly and unamused as it was possible for it to be. She was there when the Primarina had joined their village, in circumstances not too different from Anne's. To think she'd turn around and spit in an innocent's face like that...

As much as the Indeedee was winding herself up, the sheer nonsensicalness of it all cut her short. It would've been so unlike Celia to act this way; this made no sense. Then again, no earlier situation had ever concerned a human. And if there was anyone in the village with a very good reason to loathe every single part of humanity with all her heart, it was also the Primarina.

This mess was making demons of them all.

"^I know, but it's true. That just leaves Lariat. Haven't spoken with him either.^"

"^I have, and... it really, really wasn't pretty. It felt like I couldn't get to him at all about Anne's situation being so much more similar to ours than of any other human. He'll almost certainly vote against.^"

"^That makes six.^"

Aria's comment was grim in its implications. Her arms shook as she tried to continue calming herself down with a meal, to no avail. Why were people she knew and respected deciding to be this cruel to someone so defenseless?

"^I'll get up early and speak with Ruby in the morning. I don't know if I'll be able to stay for long enough to discuss this with Ori-^"

"^Don't worry Aria, Geiger assured me he'll talk to Ori and Lumi tomorrow.^"

As feasible as it felt for the Scizor to be swayed, the Luxray was a whole separate matter. At this point, probably not even whichever deities were watching high above them would ever get through to the Electric's type skull. Why would another Electric-type do any better?

"^Th-that's good, the Ori part. Talking to Lumi is a waste of time, but Geiger knows him better.^"

"And so do I. I can't do much, still, but I can at least try to chat with him."

Marco's voice, speaking up for the first time in a while, caught the attention of the rest of the family; the knight's portion was long finished.

"^I'd say trying to talk to Ana and Celia would be a better use of your time, but I'm unsure how much you've talked to them in the past.^"

"With Celia? Not at all, only a few words with Ana. I don't know, sis, I feel like I'll have more luck with Lumi."

"^Y-yeah, I suppose. It's just-^"

Garret's hug cut Aria off before she could finish her sentence. The sudden, full body warmth was soothing beyond words, especially once further enhanced by the most intricate massage in the world.

"You're trying your best, honey. We can do it all, together. I'm sure of it."

"^I wish I was.^"

"Me too honey, me too."

The Gardevoir chuckled at the impromptu exchange. Her mind was a maelstrom of everything that could go wrong, everyone they had to talk to and try to convince not to murder an innocent by proxy. She wasn't alone, she knew it at a rational level, but... a part of her still felt hopelessness creeping in, moment by moment.

"On my end, I can visit Max and discuss it with him. I will have the time tomorrow. Aside from that, I'll be on the lookout for any passing Elders to go over it all with them."

"^Garret, you're wonderful, but I doubt any force could ever sway Winnie, even your looks and charm.^"

"If not him, then Ana and Celia!"

The Breloom was out of consideration for being convinced, and everyone gathered knew that. The Primarina had her own master plan of some sort, and the Torkoal... wouldn't let her opinion show, not even when talking to a psychic.

"^Won't hurt to try. Thanks, honey.^"

"^No lessons tomorrow, and if I have the time, I'll bring it all to Celia and see what she thinks. If need be, I'll stay with Anne, though. It'd help a lot if you could watch over Anne again, Marco.^"

The Gallade sighed at the reasonable request. Out of the two of them, his mom-in-law was both much better at talking and knew much more about most faces around the village, especially the older ones. It only made sense for him to be delegated to the least difficult duty considering his current state, but...

Sigh.

This was not the time for him to be moping, not with Anne's wellbeing on the line.

"Will do, mom."

As the Indeedee patted her son-in-law on the back, Aria was churning through everything she could do to help tomorrow. Ruby, Ori, maybe Lucere too. The Weavile was most likely to agree; it would just take catching her in the early morning and going through it all. She was many things, but honest and direct were chief among them. The Scizor was a tricky case, and Geiger was probably the one better suited to actually changing him. Still, she'd be remiss not to at least probe what his current thoughts were.

The Altaria... would take some getting used to.

Most of what Aria knew of her revolved around what she'd heard whispered about where she came from, about how her own flock had banished her over an innate difference. She'd have to work out more of the specifics to see if she could use that to appeal to her judgment. Aside from that tidbit, the few times Aria had listened to what Lucere had said about humans, distrust was chief amongst what she felt.

Whether it was the deeper, unyielding sort was something for her to figure out tomorrow-

"^All that aside, Aria, any news regarding what happened to Cinder-^"

*knock-knock-knockknockknock!*

The chaotic, uneven banging at the front door cut the Indeedee off as it plunged the burrow into silence. The three psychics quickly realized just who it was standing outside in utter despair, but only one of them knew the probable reason. Without saying another word and to the tune of the constant barrage of bangs and knocks, Aria got up and turned towards the stairs.

Her body shook with each step, but she pushed on; she had to push on. The implications her mind was all too happily feeding her were plunging her soul into despair, but that could wait until later. Right now,

*croak!*

Ember needed her help.

"H-h-how could she have d-done that to me!?"

The vixen was pushing her words through loud, howling weeping. Her hot tears wetted Aria's front as the Gardevoir held her tight, the whole of Ember's body shaking.

"I-I just wa-wanted Anne to be safe and-"

Ember couldn't even finish her sentence before her piercing sobs filled the burrow. Autumn took care of the noise with a Safeguard, but it was up to Aria to help the despairing fox, green arms holding her close. She wished she knew what to do in response, how to soothe someone carrying so much justified pain. She had no answers, but what she had was comfort.

"Sh-she took m-my memories a-a-and she took Anne a-and-"

The gentle psychic embrace surrounding the Braixen helped, even if slightly. Without saying a word, Aria gently led the sobbing fox down the stairs, until she was sitting beside the rest of her family in front of the calm fireplace.

"I-I thought she loved me a-and she doesn't and she did that to me-"

"^Shhhhhhhhhhh.^"

Aria's quiet, gentle hush was paired with her physical hand stroking Ember's head, adding to the warmth even further. There wasn't a spell for this kind of pain, not one that wouldn't merely delay it until its discovery. There was only the slow way forward, one of comfort, reassurance, and, most importantly, listening.

Ember's wails continued for a couple more minutes as Autumn scrambled over to her other side, joining in with her own affection. She was no less frightened at the fox's state than the rest of the family, but with Aria being ready to talk through it all with the fox, her trying to chime in would only make things worse. Eventually, the worst of her painful howls ended, leaving only sobs, sorrow, and betrayal.

A few minutes later, the same words, but now meant as a question and not an outlet of pain.

"W-why did she do that to me..."

Aria thought back to her stern discussion with Cinder. Despite how thorough it was, it was ultimately useless for the painful fox beside her. What was she to say, that the fox's mom was a coward? Even if true, it wouldn't help in the slightest, and was only part of the picture by itself. Aria loathed to excuse Cinder's behavior, but what she could do was contextualize it enough to let Ember come to her own conclusion.

"^Because you were hurting, and Cinder didn't know what to do. She hurt you because she didn't want you to suffer. What she did was horrible and wrong, but it was not without a reason to it.^"

Ember's body shook as she chewed through the Gardevoir's words. The storm inside her head kept shifting between pain, uncertainty, and anger, with neither end strong enough to overpower the other two.

"B-but I love Anne, a-and I loved her then too. I-I just wanted her to be safe!"

"^Back then, Cinder thought it impossible to convince the elders that it was possible for Anne to stay, and wanted to spare you from suffering at living without her. What she did was horrific and violating, but it was in the name of love, if misguided and harmful.^"

The Braixen sniffed and sobbed as she chewed through Aria's words. She wanted them to be true; she didn't want her mom to have been hating her all along; she still loved her mom. But it all hurt, it all hurt so much, thinking about all the days she spent without the hope that Anne had represented in her life. All the fears, all the loneliness.

All the pain that her best friend had gone through while she wasn't even aware of her existence.

"D-does she hate A-Anne?"

Aria winced at Ember's words, at her own uncertainty about their answer. What she'd sensed earlier today was one thing, but it wouldn't remain so for long. Ultimately, the Gardevoir didn't know.

And it was only right of her to admit to that.

"^I don't know, sweetie. Even if she did, even if she does... I think with how clear your love for Anne is, your mom can change. Despite what she'd done, Cinder loves you, I'm sure of that. That doesn't mean you have to go back to her, or even forgive her, but it's important to keep in mind.^"

"I-I-I l-love her t-too, b-but-"

Whatever stability had been building up in the fox's head burst into misery once more. Her weeping filled the burrow for a few more moments as Aria and Autumn held her close, letting her get all the despair out of her system. It didn't take nearly as long this time, thankfully; sobbing wails soon returned to sniffing, tearful breaths.

"^I'm sorry, Ember. I wish all this hadn't happened to you and Anne. Nobody but your mom and Elder Ana knew.^"

Ember nodded weakly, trying and largely failing to steady her breathing.

"W-will she hate me?"

"^No, no, she won't, sweetie. She knows she did something evil, and will turn herself in for the Elders to decide on her punishment tomorrow.^"

"I-I don't want her t-to be hurt! I-I j-just want A-Anne t-to be safe, a-and m-mom to l-like Anne t-too..."

"^I doubt they'll hurt her. It's Cinder herself that wants to see consequences for what she'd done.^"

"I-I... I just want her to, to-"

It was a desire words couldn't hope to express in full. 'Apologize' didn't go far enough; that word was for accidents and petty grudges, not for what her mom had done. Something larger than mere apology, something to soothe the wound left in both her own soul and indirectly in Anne's. Something that the vixen had no idea how to name, but needed all the same.

Something that would let the three of them eventually move on.

Swaddled in words or not, the desire was perfectly clear to the Gardevoir. Whether it was attainable was another question, one Aria again didn't have an answer to there and then.

"^I think it will happen with time, sweetie. Until then, feel free to stay here, at our burrow, for as long as you need.^"

"Th-thank you, Mrs. Aria..."

Right as the vixen had slowly begun to get over the worst of her despair, a different concern struck her.

"Wh-what about A-Anne? I-is she really s-safe?"

Deep breaths Aria, deep breaths.

"^Safe with certainty... sadly no. Us scouts and the Elders will hold a vote on what will happen to her tomorrow evening.^"

The danger loomed over her best friend rekindled Ember's pain. Her frail, exhausted body clung to Aria's as hard as it could as hot tears wetted more and more of her fur.

"B-but Anne h-hadn't done anything wrong! I-I just want h-her to be safe! I-I don't want her to leave, I don't want to leave, I-I-"

Aria redoubled her embrace and psychic affection. At the same time, she breathed as deeply as she could, holding the vixen close until their breaths synchronized.

"^Everyone here and plenty of others in the village are doing all we can to make sure that Anne will get to stay. I don't have certainty, but we're trying as hard as possible and have rather good hopes.^"

The honest answer helped Ember with not falling into further hopelessness as her trust refocused on Aria. Amidst all the chaos, amidst her own mom having hurt her in such an unspeakable way, the Gardevoir felt like someone she could still trust and find reassurance in. Moment by moment, the worst of her despair finally began to subside out as her tears eased out, immense exhaustion creeping in to replace them both.

Ember hurt.

Her mom had hurt her, the village had hurt her, both of them had hurt Anne, too. But... she still loved the former. She trusted the former to still love her. It'd take a while for her to really forgive her mom, but it no longer felt impossible now that she knew why. And with Anne's situation, she believed Aria's reassurance; her hope of being able to live with Anne together forever blooming again after being nearly extinguished entirely.

"Y-yes. Th-thank you, Mrs. A-Aria- *yaaaaawn*"

"^You're welcome, sweetie.^"

"^Would you mind sleeping next to me, darling? Just to make sure Bell and Cadence won't wake up.^"

The Braixen didn't have to be asked twice, nodding right away at Autumn's question. Her subsequent effort to stand back up was long and shaky. The Indeedee held her close as she guided her to a small, but soft bedding. Soon enough, the last of Ember's energy soon gave out; the fox left utterly drained by all the triumph and despair of the day.

The rest of the burrow soon followed.

Dinner was finished in silence, the fireplace extinguished, and everyone nestled in for the night. The uncertainty of Anne's situation, combined with the gloom of what Ember had been through, hung heavy over them all. They needed sleep more than ever, and that alone made it all the harder to obtain.

The Gardevoir took by far the longest to finally give into rest, mind in constant overdrive. The list of tasks for tomorrow had gained another, horrifying bullet point. One she feared the most about being able to accomplish.

Cinder had admitted to her lies.

Now, it was Aria's turn.