trips to mount pyre have almost become commonplace, or at least as common as they can be given how busy his schedule normally is. it's been days since he's last been out here, and while he's used to traversing these dark halls by himself, he doesn't mind the company today.

"illie."

he looks at the tombstone, reading what can be read.

"one of yours?"

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]”matias,” she chooses to ignore the slight shiver over her nickname. instead, silver tails fall from shoulders as if a dropping cape and she’s rising to her feet a moment later.

briefly, her eyes dart to the stone, to the carvings it holds. they’re half worn away, covered by moss and vines.

”yeah,” the admission is soft and she hates the feeling it leaves. not being good enough, strong enough, brave enough. it leaves her bitter and hungry, teeth and claws scraping at dirt as she struggles to stay above ground. ”it was when that tree showed up in littleroot.”

nightmares still plague her over it.

an eerie chill rises, then, and nearby bushes begin to rustle. the forest around them comes to alive and she’s stepping back from the grave, closer to him as eyes dart around.

she loves ghost types but man, being haunted is not fun.

MATIAS SILPH

tree?

it takes him a second to remember the report of the incident. he skimmed it briefly during his research of the region and its turmoils, though didn't take much in because there was simply too much.

"i'm sorry."

he takes a single step closer to the tombstone, kneeling before it only to gently run his hand across it. dust moves, scattering.

still next to her, he tilts his head to peer up at her, offering a compassionate smile.

"tell me about them."

about the pokemon she lost.

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the act of rememberance, of mourning surprises her. he didn’t know the golett, doesn’t even really know her. and yet, he still bends to pay respects to the tombstone as if it contains a memorial for an old friend. dust scatters beneath his touch and subconsciously, teeth begin to chew on her bottom lip.

it’s difficult to not cry beneath the weight of memories. his smile makes it harder.

”i’m sure you’re familiar with my golurk,” she smiles fondly for a moment before lips settle into a saddened line. ”i had taken a golett with me during the littleroot raid. the little one was like a brother to deus.” her eyes begin to avoid him, drifting instead to the tree line. shadows lurk there.

”we made it to the basement, surprisingly. there was so many people, so much chaos. the building began to collapse as the tree died and fell from poison,” she pauses, wincing. phantom feelings of pain come in mild waves. her body bleeds pink mist as if expecting to heal poison that isn’t in her veins. ”my golett died protecting me and the sap i collected. i don’t remember much after that… i was told i passed out from poison after waking up in the hospital.” if there’s more to the story, it dies in her throat.

MATIAS SILPH

he does nothing else but nod and listen as he feels the weight of her words upon his shoulders. though his own experiences have hardened him, he's still able to sympathize for her loss, understanding what most couldn't.

it's for that reason that he reaches for her hand, hoping to provide what little comfort he could at the moment. not much, perhaps, but maybe enough.

"not every pokemon would give their lives for their trainer."

speaking from experience.

"it must've loved you."

almost on cue, something bumps into his leg. he peers down to see a small golett, smaller than usual, as it peers up at him with lost eyes.

his hand slips out of hers to find the golett's, guiding it towards her.

illeana reyes
skipping!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]his hand finds hers and she stares down at the contact. it's warm, comforting, safe. something cracks inside, the sound echoing in her ears. she bites down on her bottom lip to keep it from wobbling, ignoring the metallic taste in her mouth.

"yeah," it's soft, faraway, half broken toward the end. another memory comes rushing up at his words. another pokemon perishing for her safety... the idea that everything she loves dies because of her lingers in the background, a dark shadow slowly feeding on her thoughts. her furret, her golett, ALEXANDER STONE , tapu lele. "it's not the first time."

tears well up until they bubble over.

"i loved it too."

a hand rises to furiously wipe at her eyes, as if she can magically swipe away every emotion with the motion. unfortunately, it's not that easy. his hand slips from hers and she's too distracted to notice.

and then, there's a familiar feeling of clay. it snaps her back into attention. the strangled noise that escapes, after, is embarrassing but she doesn't care. there's a golett in front of her and it feels like fate. it feels like maybe the universe isn't completely fucking her over anymore.

the little clay automaton is so small, so lost, so confused. and yet, it's so gentle when it approaches her. like a child would a mother, it wobbles up and encircles little arms around her thighs. oh god.

she's fully crying now, slowly sinking to the ground to wrap the golett up in a tight hug. no one is taking this one away from her. not even shiv.

MATIAS SILPH
GOLETT PLS CMERE!

matias has never been particularly good at comforting others, even if he really should've learned by now. showing emotions has always been foreign to him, but he's seen so much of it that he's grown accustomed, perhaps even a little bit numb.

so consider his surprise when his heart aches at the sight in front of them.

he joins her on the ground because that feels more natural than towering over her. the golett coos and nuzzles closer to her, and he does nothing else but watch.

illeana reyes
skipping!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]his presence joining her on the ground is a comfort she didn't know she needed. it's warm and solid, a pillar keeping her from completely crumbling into herself. and god, she cries a little harder when the golett lets out such a familiar coo. it nuzzles closer, little clay head settling softly on her chest.

somehow, it doesn't even mind that some of her tears are falling onto its head.

she stays like this for a few moments until sniffles and tears begin to ease away. and when they do, she turns her head to rest on the golett's, slightly watery eyes shifting to find matias. she flashes a wobbly smile, then, and continues to hold her new golett as it rumbles comfort into her bones.

MATIAS SILPH
GOLETT PLS CMERE!

the sight reminds him of all those he's lost as well. to war, to violence, and even to a friend. he's never quite shared the bond with his pokemon as she clearly has, and in a way, the realization saddens him.

they deserve better, don't they? they deserve a name, don't they?

"i've never named my pokemon. didn't see the point of it."

until now.

he offers a bare smile, peering at the golett.

"can i name it?"

illeana reyes
skipping!

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the admittance catches her off guard. surprise bleeds into her features and it's taking hold before she can stop it.

"you," a pause, a swallow, a curious stare. "you don't name your pokemon but you want to name one of mine?"

there's a pang in her chest she chalks up to the moment being overly emotional and ignores it.

softly, without taking her eyes off of him, she adds, "why?"

the golett coos against her chest and its head turns to regard matias. and then, a small clay hand rises. it's torn between waving and grabbing so the hand lingers. there's a pause, a decision before it slowly circles in a tiny wave.

MATIAS SILPH
GOLETT PLS CMERE!

matias watches the golett with genuine interest, finding its indecisiveness oddly adorable. he returns the gesture, moving his own hand in a slow circle of a tiny wave.

"i want to."

predictably, she's going to ask him why again, but again, he's not going to answer.

instead, he hums, moving his hand forward to give the little golett a soft high-five.

"malan. it's a nickname usually given to a small man, but it means defender of mankind."

illeana reyes
skipping!

☉