[FIN] Minuet of Forest

[Suudonym]

Frustration, anger, despair, and fear - and amidst it all, a very persistent feeling of suffocation. All at once, Luke could no longer tolerate the thought of remaining in the city, and the morning following another night of fitful sleep was marked by the beginning of an aimless journey to escape. Camphoreon's outskirts were a familiar sight by now, and he pushed beyond them, eventually reaching the forest. Ah, but he remembered the forest; it was around there that the ground had suddenly vanished. He purposefully steered clear of the mountains.

By the onset of the afternoon, the boy had discovered an area he recalled only vaguely: the large lake central to Kodo. He'd been by this way once before, long ago. It was a pleasant sight, reflecting forest and sunlight in its broad, breeze-stirred surface. The scent of the earth, damp from the lake's reach, and the sound of the wildlife permeated the air. It was a nice place, pure and simple. He finally felt like he could breathe for once.

He wasn't really sure when any of it had happened, but somewhere in the approximate hour since his initial arrival and appreciation of the lake, the boy had seated himself against the base of a bordering tree, and his voice, in its idleness, had found song. Learning an instrument had never really been an option Luke, to the best of his knowledge, but that didn't stop him from enjoying music. He'd rarely had the chance to be alone at home, though, and in the city there was always someone within earshot, and so it was infrequently that he had the opportunity to indulge in any more than hummed melodies or murmured lyrics. It seemed he had the forest to himself, though, or at least he hadn't noticed anyone else in the duration of the afternoon. The hummed melodies and murmured lyrics eventually gave way to full song, to whatever song came to mind at whatever moment. It served as a surprisingly effective catharsis, clearing away thought and filling its place with sound.  

[Tymiko]

It so happened that there was at least one person within earshot - one who, like the Grande Ile noble, found the city to be nearly suffocating. Unlike Luke, however, this child was pretty used to being on her own. Thus, she was quite astonished when a perfectly human voice gave way first to humming and then to audible words.

Tymiko liked to sleep outdoors and preferably in trees when she could. She couldn't really say why except that she felt most at peace in high places and under open skies. It wasn't really to escape any wild pokemon, since there were likely to be just as many in the trees as on the ground, but it made her feel almost like she belonged there. Much more than back at her house, at least, which she could hardly call home.

Water had also been a source of attraction to the young girl ever since she could remember. Ty had discovered the lake the previous day and had taken to fishing and swimming in it with Fathom before picking a thick tree to relax in. After being sure that she wouldn't upset any nesting or resting wildlife, she lay there in the canopy to take in her surroundings.

Like many children, she sorely detested sleeping, so she had spent most of the previous night trying to stay awake with stories she told herself and any wild pokemon that might have been nearby. Not that she knew if they cared or even understood, but it was mostly for her than anything else.

Fathom certainly hadn't; he'd returned to his pokeball the instant he realized Ty had meant for them to camp out in a tree. It was not his favorite place to rest, especially since he'd fallen from the last one he'd climbed with his trainer.

Having spent the night staying up had made the water trainer especially sleepy by the following afternoon. She had dozed on and off until Luke's voice had woken her. His humming had first entered her dreams, but as it got louder, she gradually became more conscious that there was a source of the music nearby.

By the time she was fully awake again, the young man was already singing loud and clear. She smiled, not wishing to disturb his song, but deciding after a time that it was only fair to reveal herself. After all, she didn't want him to think her an enemy or a stalker, and if he stayed for much longer, he would have likely noticed the girl on his own. Ty could never keep still for more than three minutes.

"You," she began, gradually beginning her decent from the forest canopy, "have a marvelous singing voice." The girl jumped off of a lower branch once she was sure she could land on the ground safely. By now she was in plain view and it was apparent she was unarmed.

Her travelling bag had been hidden in the bushes though there wasn't much in it, so hopefully without it the young man wouldn't think Tymiko was concealing any weapons. Well, besides the Dive ball at her waist, of course, but she made an effort to show she had no plans of touching it.

Remaining at the distance between 'her' tree and Luke's, she regarded him thoughtfully and with a vaguely distant look, as if not really seeing him at all. "...So why is it I get the feeling that you don't use it that often?"  

[Suudonym]

The sound of another's voice was a suddenly flipped off-switch to his own, and all at once Luke was on his feet, lingering closely to the tree as if trying to decide whether or not to hide behind it. The abrupt shift in the color of his face made it abundantly clear how he felt about being overheard, and he quickly diverted his gaze to anywhere where it wouldn't meet that of his company.

"N-- You..." Even he didn't know what he was trying to say, but at a time like this, he had to say something. "Don't-- Don't just listen to people like that! Jeez!" It would appear that he was quite upset about the turn of events, which probably served as an implication of an answer to the girl's question.  

[Tymiko]

Feeling a mixture of amusement and remorse at the sight of Luke's face, the girl stopped in her tracks. She put a hand up to her mouth, half-heartedly attempting to conceal a guilty smile. Better not get any closer until he's calmed down some. It was almost like approaching and trying to befriend a wild pokemon. And that face! A young man, clearly older than her, flustered because she'd heard him. A giggle escaped her lips.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she laughed, unable to hold it in once he started talking. "Next time I'll close my ears or something. But I have to thank you, because I was starting to fall asleep again and your song woke me up." The child made a face. "I hate naps. Especially in the day. It's such a waste."

She realized it probably wasn't wise to go to him, but that didn't mean she couldn't move. The girl picked up a stick on the ground and dragged it along towards the lake's edge. "I don't know what you're so embarrassed about, though," Tymiko told him, staring at the water. "Like I said, your singing is great. But I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about."

Dipping the end of the stick in the water, she crouched by the lake's edge and stared at the more shallow end of the lake bottom. "It's too peaceful here. That's what made me so bored that I got sleepy. But it's too loud in the city, so that's no fun either. I wish there was more...adventure."

She turned back to look at the red-headed young man. "Do you like adventure?"  

[Suudonym]

There were parts of Luke that were simply parts of him, and in spite of all wishes to change, they persisted in his demeanor. One such part was his staunch dislike of being made fun of, and he couldn't help the anger that entered his expression at the sound of the girl's laughter. Even Luke could acknowledge that he wasn't being terribly realistic in expecting people to simply not hear him if he happened to be singing when they were within earshot, but that didn't mean she had to laugh about it.

He abstained from commenting on it further, though; he was more than happy to just let the subject drop. It was a bit easier to let go of that anger and offense once the stranger's attention was divided, and when he spoke to answer her question, it was with only marginally lingering disdain, "Isn't it better if things are peaceful? I'd rather it be boring and peaceful than exciting and dangerous..." He spoke with the demeanor of someone who had had more than his fill of excitement and danger as of late, a certain weariness and a suggested pessimism to his tone.  

[Tymiko]

Sensing his attitude change, the girl felt a little better about approaching the man. She didn't want to just yet, though. He reminded her of her brother - firey, impulsive, and prideful. It was never good to prod people like that, especially when they felt their pride was wounded.

She hadn't meant to laugh, but it wasn't something she was very good at keeping in, either. As more of a water-type person, Tymiko attempted to go with the flow and let the previous matter slide on by, hoping any hard feelings from the stranger would be washed away with it.

"You said 'exciting'," she spoke up suddenly, almost before he finished. "So you must agree that peaceful can be boring. You've craved for adventure and danger before, haven't you?"

Regarding him more closely, the girl continued, "Those are awfully fancy-looking clothes for someone who travels around as a pokemon trainer. I'm guessing you weren't always one."

Getting up at last, she brushed off the damp earth from her denim carpis and walked over, still dragging the stick along the ground, standing before him. "What changed your mind about craving danger?"  

[Suudonym]

He spent a quiet moment considering how to reply. It didn't really matter what she knew about him, he decided. And it wasn't as though his life preceding his visit to Kodo was a secret anyway. He shrugged, "Yeah. Up to about a year ago, I wasn't allowed to leave home. I was stuck in that house for seven years before I got fed up and left." It wasn't a story told with defiant pride anymore, not like it had been when he had first started telling it. He never thought he would find himself wishing for the quiet solitude that had nearly driven him to madness, even if he didn't exactly want to return home.

The question of what had changed him intensified the weariness and pessimism in his person to the point that it was hard to miss. He tucked his hands into his pockets, and his gaze fell. "A lot of things," he answered vaguely. "Bad things happen in dangerous situations. People get hurt or lose things important to them."  

[Tymiko]

"Oh," the girl stated, staring at Luke as if he had just grown a second head. "I had no idea it was that bad," she murmured, looking away with a nervous smile as she considered what he'd told her. Seven years. All in one place. She wouldn't have been able to survive! It was practically prison!

"Um...if you don't mind me asking," she said after a minute or two of silence, "Why weren't you allowed to leave home? Over-protective parents?" That would have been one thing they'd had in common.

As the young man mentioned people getting hurt and losing things, she nodded in silence. The real world was a dark place. It was difficult to know how to react to certain situations. But still... "I've been told I'm a pretty cynical person, if you would believe it," Ty said with a half-smile. "So I think I have an idea of what you're talking about. But let me ask you this."

She met his eyes and locked her gaze with his brilliantly green ones, noticing how they contrasted sharply with his vibrant, vermilion hair. "Would you rather have never left that house and not have had bad or dangerous things happen to you? If people hadn't gotten hurt or lost things important to them, would you have realized how much those people meant to you?"

Ty hesitated, drawing away and looking at her sandals, suddenly seeming meek again as she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "I mean...not that I know anything about you, but...the way you talk about this stuff, it sounds like you really feel bad for whoever it was that went through what you described."

She shrugged. "I guess you could have been talking about yourself, but...doesn't sound like you're wallowing in self-pity. Sounds more to me like a person who doesn't know how to help a friend in pain."  

[Suudonym]

"Well... Yeah. Pretty much." It wasn't as simple as overprotectiveness, but he sort of doubted some passing stranger wanted to hear his life story. His parents' overprotectiveness was certainly well-founded, though that didn't make it any less stifling.

He blinked slightly at the preface to her question and the intense stare that followed. The words that came weren't ones he had never considered before, though. "If I could have prevented everything that's happened by staying home, then I should never have left." His 'boredom' had hurt people, worried people, and shown him things he had never wanted to see. Were becoming a better person and realizing the importance of the people around him really worth everything else that had happened as well? It sounded awfully selfish. "But that's not how it works. No matter how much I know what I should have done, it doesn't change what I did." He breathed a short sigh and gave every effort to shrug it off with a smile, "I could think about the 'if's forever without changing anything. I like it here; that's the truth no matter what else could have been." Maybe it was selfish, but didn't he have the right to want to be happy?

He maintained the forced smile - it was easier to think about everything while smiling, even if not sincerely. "Heh, don't give me too much credit. I spend a lot of energy feeling sorry for myself too." A faint sigh that chipped away at the weak facade he wore. "Yeah, I have a friend who's been hurt a lot. I promised I would help, but... It was just arrogance. She's already a lot stronger than me."  

[Tymiko]

"So...you would have rather been unhappy than have had to watch others be hurt?" the girl remarked thoughtfully. "That sounds pretty noble of you, but when you think about it, I'm not sure those others would agree. She tilted her head sideways, resting her cheek against a knee.

"Because even if you had prevented everything that's happened, there were sure to have been new obstacles that they would have had to overcome in the place of the ones you stopped. I bet those people feel lucky to have met someone as considerate of others as you. You're probably making everything easier for them just by caring."

Well, Ty knew that feeling. It was particularly difficult to accept that some things could not be changed no matter how much one regretted them. Still, that was how people learned. Though Luke was clearly having a tough time trying to smile, the water trainer shook her head. "You shouldn't force yourself to act differently than you feel. It just makes everything hurt more."

Crawling over to him (without much thought to the mud and grass stains she was getting on her clothes and palms), Tymiko poked his tense cheek, tightened from his false smile. "It's okay to feel sorry for yourself. If we didn't, we wouldn't really be human." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned her chin on it. "Maybe you've helped her already - more than you know. How much you want to bet you're at least part of the reason that she's gotten so much stronger?"

"Before you can help and have confidence in others, you have to help and have confidence in yourself. In everything." She beamed. "Including singing."  

[Suudonym]

It was sort of weird listening to a perfect stranger talk about him more highly than he would even think of himself. Luke was aware that his sense of self-worth was lacking as of late, but it seemed he had become an outright pessimist somewhere along the line. He shrugged, maintaining his distant smile, "I don't know about that. I've caused a lot of trouble myself. My best friend is always getting mad at me because I hide from him whenever I mess up." He couldn't help a laugh at that. It sounded kind of pathetic when he said it out loud; it was no wonder Guy got mad.

Though it was certainly obvious that his expression wasn't genuine, it still faltered when he was called out on it. When it returned, it was a little more melancholy. "I don't mind," he said. "I really hate being depressed or upset or whatever, so pretending's fine with me."

He recoiled slightly from the girl's sudden proximity - only slightly, or else he probably would have risked shoving her or something, and she hadn't really behaved rudely enough to receive that kind of treatment. He couldn't really argue against what she said, remember that Rosie had said as much herself and knowing the young woman's disposition. She wouldn't lie about something like that. It didn't help all that much, though, considering he couldn't even follow the advice that had allegedly helped her so much.

"I don't know," he murmured vaguely, turning his head; he couldn't physically get away from her without being rude about it, but he could at least indulge in a little of that pretending. "It sort of feels like I'm being left behind. Everyone's working hard and getting stronger, and I can't even wield a sword anymore." It didn't occur to him that wielding a sword wasn't an everyday activity that would be odder for someone to be capable of than not. He pushed the thoughts aside and forcibly brightened his demeanor, breathing a vague laugh, "Why are you so interested in my problems anyway? I'm surprised you haven't gotten fed up with me yet." He got fed up with his own negativity on a regular basis. It was at least part of the reason he preferred to smile when he didn't really feel like it.  

[Tymiko]

"Your best friend, huh?" Ty giggled. "That sounds like a true friend, alright. But I'm sure he understands. My best friend does that too," she admitted. "Are you hiding from him right now?"

Jumping to her feet, the restless girl put her hands on her hips. "Pretending is fine when it's for fun, but you can't use it to block your feelings! Otherwise they'll just build up and explode! Trust me. I speak from experience," she told him seriously.

Tymiko noticed the slight recoil and realized she was probably making the guy uncomfortable. They were practically strangers, after all. Moving away to give him some space, she crossed her arms and looked off into the thicket of the forest once again.

"You know...you don't have to be all polite with me. I'd rather people be completely honest than polite. It's polite people I get uncomfortable around because I never know if I'm bothering them or not." Turning back to peer at him out the corner of her eye, she appeared to be melancholy for a moment.

The next instant, though, she was glowing with energy and enthusiasm. "You wield a sword?!" she cried happily, leaning over with her arms stretched out behind her. Then she tried to balance on one foot, taking off her flip-flops to feel the damp earth beneath her feet. "That's so cool! Why can't you wield it anymore? Did you lose it? Did you hurt your arm?"

Luke's continued facade caused her to expression to darken immediately. She playfully punched him in the arm, though not hard. "I told you not to do that. Don't make me get rough with you," she warned.

But her expression softened at his question. She sat herself back down on her butt. "I like to listen," Tymiko said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "To other people, I mean. I'm a listener. And I like to help if I can." Picking up the stick she had dropped earlier, she prodded his leg with it.

"Plus I like adventure, remember? That includes learning about other people, their problems, and their experiences. Helps me keep an open mind." A sharper swat with the stick. "So stop trying to trick me. I hate masks. If you're getting sick of me, you're not going to be able to get rid of me until I know you act how you feel."  

[Suudonym]

"Nah," he shook his head slightly. "Just getting away from the city for a little while."

He matched her seriousness with a neutrality that could almost qualify as indifference and stared distantly into the quiet forest, "I'm okay with that. I'm not going to make my friends worry on my account." It was bad enough worrying about Team Rocket and about becoming better trainers; Luke had no wish to add his own personal troubles to the troubles of his friends who were already working so hard.

He listened as she pulled away and spoke, her bright disposition dimming unexpectedly, even if only briefly. The smile he offered her sidelong glance was notably more genuine than his others, "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not so polite that you wouldn't know when I've had enough."

It was sort of a relief to see her enthusiasm return so quickly, but the words born of that enthusiasm were inadvertently wounding, and Luke drew his hands into loose fists, unable to force his favored expression onto his features. "No, I..." She didn't need to know the details; she was just a kid passing through the forest with too much free time. "I'm scared, I guess... It's dangerous, you know? Hurting people - that's not something I ever wanted." It was tempting to laugh at himself, but he couldn't manage it.

He brushed away the prodding stick halfheartedly, acting more instinctively than anything else. When she put it that way, Luke was sort of reminded of himself. Helping others. He just wanted the people around him to be safe and happy. It was a lot more work than one might have imagined.

His response to the swat was one that probably would have offended himself a year ago. It went ignored, and he drew up his legs, folded his arms against his knees, and rested his head against those arms. "Sorry," he closed his eyes momentarily, "but I don't really like showing off that I'm afraid."  

[Tymiko]

"Yuck. Yeah, the city can make people wanna do that."

Eyes narrowing at the indifference in his voice, Ty stared at him harder. So he was one of that sort. Well, not like she could blame him. Wasn't it just easier sometimes to try to take on everything yourself? She would have probably done the same thing in his place, but then again, that's why she usually tried to keep her distance from people. She didn't want to want to cause them harm; unintentionally or not.

"Hmph." She didn't seem completely satisfied with his answer referring to his politeness, but it wasn't like she could force him to be honest with her. It was only natural he would feel the need to act guarded, especially around a stranger. Only true friends could usually be completely and utterly honest to the point of sounding cruel.

"..." Her lips parted slightly at the mention of his fear. Scared of hurting people - that was familiar. "Oh. I...I can understand that," she said, probably more than she cared to admit. "I used to carry around a sword too. Left it at home, though." Not that her sword was the main cause of her fear of hurting others, but it was related to the true reason. "Sorry I mentioned it." Even the oblivious-seeming child could tell Luke was uncomfortable on the subject.

Tymiko went quiet again for some time as Luke changed his position to one similar to she herself had taken up a few minutes before. It was a a posture of insecurity. This was supported by his words, and Ty was suddenly regretting her actions again. "...May I ask what you're afraid of?" she whispered, speaking gently so as not to seem prying. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  

[Suudonym]

He shook his head vaguely at the apology; it wasn't as though he expected everyone to know exactly what subjects made him uncomfortable or something. There was something in her words, in her tone, that raised a small concern. She was even younger than him, and Luke hated the idea that she had experiences that allowed her to understand.

The boy was silent for some time after the question was posed, searching his thoughts for a response. "I don't really understand it myself," he said at length. "...Someone died. It doesn't really bother me as much anymore if I don't think about it, but... Seeing a sword, holding one, even thinking about using it, I just can't get those images out of my head." He shuddered lightly, his posture stiffening in response. When had he become so pathetic? It was no wonder Asch couldn't stand him.