[FIN] Good News Bear

[BlackFireKitsune]

Seraphine was glad the weather was warming up - cold temperatures made it infinitely difficult to show off in any sense of the word besides how expensive or fancy your clothes were. Still, it wasn't too warm just yet, and the brunette was therefore in a white sweater that hung off one shoulder and a black skirt, because who needs pants or any sort of warmth-providing clothing when you have a sweater.

She had no real destination in mind, just that she was out and therefore not in her dingy, depressing apartment. Isabella followed after her obediently, and while she didn't like the random people on the street, she was thoroughly enjoying being outside, although she for one didn't mind colder temperatures.

Her mistress paused briefly and the Absol glanced up, then followed after Sera as the girl hurried forward to meet a friend she'd apparently just spotted out of no where. "Luke, what's up?"  

[Suudonym]

Luke was out with a bit more purpose to his excursion, but with his task for the day completed, that purpose had devolved into little more than wandering town in enjoyment of the more pleasant temperatures and the greatly missed company of his Flareon. For once - for once in his life, it seemed - he had finally attained a state that could be described as a good mood, and the slight smile he wore was natural and sincere. He turned to regard the source of his name as he heard it, raising a hand in greeting to Seraphine when she approached, "Hey! Not a whole lot, I guess. What about you?" Not a whole lot, he said out of habit despite the good nature usually absent from his tone and the brightly-colored Flareon usually absent from his side - the latter regarding their unexpected company with a lightly waving tail and wide, dark eyes.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She would have commented on his obviously improved mood, but the bright blue bundle of fur at his side drew her attention before she could voice any of those comments. "Mieu?" She asked in surprise, eyebrows raised accordingly. Isabella looked similarly shocked at the Flareon's presence. Sera leaned forward, balancing herself by placing one hand above one knee and reaching the other hand out to stroke the tuft of fur on the fire-type's head. He had Mieu back from Team Rocket - but she still didn't have Anastasia. The thought was fleeting, as was the somber look on her face that replaced the one of surprise, but she just as quickly realized it and attempted to mask it with sincere curiosity. "When did you get him back? And how?" She asked when she straightened up and returned her gaze to her friend.

Once Sera had finished, the dark-type stepped up to her side with a wave of her tail and expressed the fact she was glad to see him back, though she was curious how he had managed after being captured by Team Rocket. How had he escaped?  

[Suudonym]

Mieu leaned into the hand, enjoying the attention with a soft sound, but he didn't move himself from Luke's side as he might have in the past. "A couple weeks back," his trainer replied as he watched the two interact. "Asch returned him, for some reason. He wouldn't really explain why."

Mieu answered the Absol's curiosity with the brief explanation that despite his continued efforts at escape, he had in fact not managed the feat on his own. Of greater interest though, he offered, was the fact that he could vouch for Anastasia's safety.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ohh," she replied simply, shifting her gaze back to the fire-type for a few seconds before she aimed a vaguely confused gaze at Luke, "But he didn't steal him in the first place, did he?" She couldn't recall the exact details of the Flareon's capture, but she was pretty sure Luke would've mentioned if Asch had stolen Mieu.

Isabella nodded her head once in acknowledgement, voiced her general surprise that Asch had given him back - and also pointed out that he had done the same with Vahy'n to Rosie - but the mention of Anastasia made her perk up a bit attention-wise. The dark-type still hadn't returned as of yet; did Mieu know who had taken her or whose care she was in?  

[Suudonym]

He shook his head, "No, he didn't, which is even weirder. A girl stole him. So I guess he saw her with Mieu and took him, then gave him to me? Seems like an awful lot of trouble for Asch to go through for someone else's sake, though…" There was almost assuredly more to it than he understood, but it was difficult to come up with a proper theory when he knew so few details.

Mieu shook his head reluctantly. Though he had seen Anastasia, he hadn't recognized her holder well enough to provide much in the way of a helpful description.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Huh, that was weird... Asch always seemed like a huge jerk in her mind (despite only meeting him once), so for him to somehow get Mieu and then bring him back to Luke for no discernible reason... That was really weird, and the vague confusion was evident on her face. "That's weird.. I mean, it's awesome and I'm glad you got Mieu back, but why's he giving Pokemon back? He's still with Team Rocket isn't he?" First Vahy'n and now Mieu. Could... could Anastasia be next? She almost didn't even want to get her hopes up though.

Isabella frowned lightly at this, but it couldn't be helped. She was at least glad her teammate was alive and well enough to try and escape from her captor. Sera missed her terribly still. The Absol switched topics and asked if the fire type knew much of what had come to pass while he was away. What she knew had come either from her own observations, or from Sera or Giselle (usually the latter) filling her in on what she'd missed while in her ball.  

[Suudonym]

"Yeah," he said uncertainly, "he is. I really think he doesn't want to be, but he said that it's his choice, so…" He'd been offered time and again the opportunity to rely on the trainers, but such offers usually just made him angry. There was definitely more to it than he was letting on - or he just didn't trust the trainers, which seemed equally likely.

Mieu shook his head once more with a slight frustration. He had the feeling that he had missed quite a bit, but all his trainer or his teammates would describe was that his master had somehow become ill. He was still waiting impatiently for a more thorough account of everything that had transpired in his absence - such as the origin of the little Eevee that had joined the team, how his human and Seraphine had come to be such good friends when they had before seemed as mere acquaintances, the story behind the yellow Mew that occasionally showed itself and vanished just as unexpectedly, and so on.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sera reached a hand up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, a mildly confused frown still present on her face. "That's weird.. You'd think if he didn't want to be in it anymore, he'd just quit or something," she said with a shrug. But really, could they just quit like that? Surely.

The Absol nodded her head a bit; she would be equally frustrated at not knowing anything in detail after being gone so long. Once again she stated the fact she had only heard of things second-hand, mostly from Giselle.

The named ghost suddenly faded into view off to their side, apologizing for not appearing sooner - she'd gotten far too into the habit of remaining invisible for the sole purpose of focusing on potential threats and alerting Sera of them before anything bad could happen. After expressing how glad she was that he was back - Luke would certainly be in much better spirits now - she began by listing off the things he'd mentioned that she had no knowledge of; namely the Eevee and the Mew, which none of them had seen nor knew they even existed. That complete, she launched into as detailed an account of everything she knew of that he missed; Sera's family going broke and Anastasia being stolen and her subsequent and slow acquisition of humility, her friendship with Luke growing gradually since then as the two hung out more often, Asch returning Vahy'n, the chance visit with Luke when he was in the hospital, the similarly lucky chance that Sera was present to rescue Luke who had jumped into the ocean to rescue a girl who had been trying to rescue her Eevee, that Luke's mother had died fairly recently, and of his heart's condition from the last time Sera had run into him -- that he needed a new one. She was pretty sure that was all of the important points.  

[Suudonym]

He frowned thoughtfully. "It can't be that easy, right? I mean, if it were that easy, then any of us could just join and get all their information then quit and take it to the police." There had to be some kind of precaution in place. Even if they screened their new members completely thoroughly, they certainly didn't just trust that they would never get tired of the place and run off.

Mieu started lightly at the Mismagius's appearance, his ears raising in attention, but as he listened dutifully to the story the ghost explained those ears gradually lowered against his head. It was no wonder his beloved human so often wore such despondent expressions. He glanced up at Luke with worry and regret in his wide eyes. Surely if he had stayed by his side such things wouldn't have come to pass. Or at least maybe they wouldn't have hit him so hard… Returning some of his cheer to his disposition, he thanked Giselle for her thorough summary. For now, at least, Luke seemed to be in a good mood, so perhaps things were beginning to improve.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, yeah..." She frowned again, staring thoughtfully at the ground. She hadn't thought of that. "I guess so, then. They wouldn't really be a problem if that were the case.." So what was the reason, then? Swear them all to secrecy or some s**t? Hell if she knew. "Anyway," she went on, her expression brightening, "at least you got Mieu back. Is that why you're in a better mood than you have been?" That was it, surely. Dumb question to even ask.

Giselle nodded at his thanks, and both she and Isabella agreed. They certainly hoped things were improving for him now, he'd been looking so depressed every time they'd seen him lately. Surely getting Mieu back had sparked such an improvement in his mood.  

[Suudonym]

He tucked his head down, slightly embarrassed that his mood was so transparent. "Yeah, that's a part of it," he said, passing a hand through his hair briefly. "I've been going through the examinations and qualified for that procedure too, so that's a huge relief." He hadn't qualified at an especially high priority, but that was a bit of a relief as well - not only did it mean he didn't have to admit himself to the hospital in the long term, but it also meant that his life expectancy without the transplant exceeded several months.

Mieu looked up at his trainer in worry despite the smile on the boy's face. He wasn't familiar with all these medical terms, but he very clearly remembered the time in his master's childhood when he was too sick to even walk around his room. He never expected to return to days like those.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

That procedure...? Oh! Oh, the heart transplant procedure he was worried he wouldn't qualify for. "That's awesome!" She said, her expression mirroring her words in enthusiasm. That certainly was cause for being in a good mood - now all he needed was to have the surgery and he'd be fine, and then he'd stop being so depressed all the time. At least the latter was starting to happen already. "Do you know when you'll have the surgery?"

At Mieu's more despondent look, Giselle bounced a bit in the air and reminded him that he was back and Luke would be better soon, once this pesky heart problem was fixed.  

[Suudonym]

"No, it's not really something they can set a date for," he explained. "First they have to have a heart become available that's a match to me, and then if there's someone on the list at a higher priority than me who also matches, it goes to them and I have to wait for the next one. So it could be tomorrow, or it could not be for months." He assumed that Kodo, in its small size, probably didn't have a terribly long list of potential transplant recipients, so he had some hope that the call would come sooner rather than later - or at least before his priority status needed to be elevated.

Mieu nodded, agreeing with Giselle's words, but he was hesitant to feel too excited, and he curled around his trainer's leg. He'd been gone far too long.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh.." Sera frowned, trying to process the explanation he gave. Though it made sense, it was still sort of dumb. Clearly Luke should have the highest priority out of everyone else for obvious reasons. "Well, I guess that makes sense," she replied finally, though the look on her face still showed a mild confusion. "I hope it's soon though." Like, really soon. That would clearly be best.

Since Mieu hadn't said much, Isabella and Giselle fell silent as well and merely remained at their trainer's side.