[attr="class","illie i"]the sobble at her neck shifts and coos in its sleep, tickling at skin with leathery scales. and perhaps like fate, another one crosses in front of her automaton. she half expects tears like before, accompanied with a wail loud enough to uproot the gods. and yet, it never comes. instead, a coo shared between a being of clay and a being of scales follows.

the wild sobble disappears into the bushes and illeana is left scratching her head as they press forward. is it just hers that's a crybaby? or was that particular one just in a good mood? odd. well, fitting for her to have a sensitive baby like herself, right?

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtag"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","wildnote"] 1/4 SAFARI BALLS REMAINING

[attr="class","illie i"]there's a brief interlude of half silence before the next encounter crosses their path. sometimes the world exists in halves, as if silence is both there and yet not. not quite in existence but not quite gone either. a weird feeling that's highlighted by the heavy falling of feet and the faint echoes of noises from deeper than her eyes can see. unsettling, she decides a moment later. she feels unsettled.

and turns out, it's because a duck had been following them for an undisclosed amount of time. the barely there presence enough to roll off her body but not enough to leave the edges of her mind. just like the dreepy from earlier, existing within the same plane of reality yet not trespassing upon it. the mild quacks that roll from its plump body snuffed out by the loud movements of an automaton. it's only when she turns to look over her shoulder that she finds it, head in its hands looking completely and utterly confused. did it get lost?

no, it just forgot what it was doing. and it seems as though the same thing repeats itself for the psyduck stops in its tracks, tilts its head at her, and then turns to head back in the direction they had just left.

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtag"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","wildnote"] 1/4 SAFARI BALLS REMAINING

[attr="class","illie i"]a small creature to match the one dangling from an arm of clay joins their walk along the way. like the previous stragglers, it doesn't stay for long. if only just enough to get a taste of what their little makeshift parade feels like.

and maybe it didn't like the way heavy notes of emotion clung in the air around them. or how quickly light can fade from eyes that shouldn't be hollow in the face of a cute animal. or maybe, just maybe, it understood too much of what the pair are bearing on shoulders like atlas crumbling beneath the weight of a world.

whatever it is, the chimchar, too, leaves in the end as only life can do.

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtag"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","wildnote"] 1/4 SAFARI BALLS REMAINING

[attr="class","illie i"]another presence flutters in and out of the scene. like an orb in a captured picture, a trick of the light or a ghost making itself known. the dreepy appears for a moment and then quickly ushers itself away. to leave in such a way is to make one question if the prickling sensation of skin, the way hair stands on edge and nerves crawl, is even real to begin with.

a haunting experience she's come to understand, to welcome even. perhaps that's why a soft smile rises as her golurk continues on in silence.

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtag"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","wildnote"] 1/4 SAFARI BALLS REMAINING

[attr="class","illie i"]by now, she's lost track of time. how much has passed? how much will continue to shuffle by? or, better yet, when did humans begin to count on time to leave an expiration date on how much of a place you can tolerate? she has questions, perhaps too many for such a silly little thing.

to be fair, she's also lost track of how many times she's seen a pokemon come and go on this trip. they shift through like spirits moving into the afterlife. quick and barely there yet just enough that the presence can be felt. the wild tyrogue is no different. it pauses to give her makeshift group a look before continuing on and maybe charon is leading it into hades' lair. or maybe it's simply chasing after time long since passed.

food for thought she mulls over as they continue on their own path like a lone boat leaving the styx.

[attr="class","wildpkmn"]

[attr="class","wildtag"] illeana reyes

[attr="class","wildnote"] 1/4 SAFARI BALLS REMAINING

[attr="class","illie i"]she's about to call it quits and retreat back to the fluffy blankets of her bed when a cry captures her attention. it sounds familiar, as if she's heard it before... this very day, in fact. another sobble is found in the bushes but this one looks different. another color scheme decorates its body and she's captured, enamored with the pastel blues and pinks. a true baby, it seems.

and maybe it's fate that this crybaby finds not one but two of her own. three crybabies in one place? what are the odds?

"hey there," she coos, descending from her perch atop an automaton to get closer. the sobble stares up at her, watery eyes increasing with tears by the second. oh, her heart can't handle it. the scientist gingerly offers a hand, just as she did with the previous sobble. "come here, it's alright. there's no need to cry..." even though she cries at the drop of a hat too. pot, kettle, what have you.

the sobble seems to appreciate the kindness, however, and rushes forward. instead of running up her arm as the last one had, however, this little baby wraps itself around her hand. a hug, a snuggle, a comfort. and she's practically melting into the grass of the safari at the sight. "come on, let's go get you food," a smile rises to her features, genuine and lingering. "have you ever had cake?" can sobbles even eat cake? she isn't sure but a good slice of cake can make the world seem alright.

she's gentle in the act of cradling the sobble to her chest, bringing it into her growing group and giving the signal that it's about time to head home. by now, the moon is just about to finish its descent into the dark sky.