their pokemon are so excited, and mika relishes in that thoughtless happiness once more. things are different now between her and julie, this she knows. and yet, those incessant thoughts keep chasing mika and rearing their ugly head to her: what they had was beautiful and warm and affectionate, but it was also confusing and difficult and introspective. perhaps too introspective, and maybe if life had treated them both nicer, the separation of then and now wouldn't be so painful. [break][break]

but this is all in mika's head. none of their truth ever comes out (none of it ever does) when it matters most, and everything pares down to a sliver of emotion — passing glances, brief touches, the fleeting moments where they rush to cling to other aspects of normalcy, quick to move on but willing to ruminate, all the while. [break][break]

mika says, "swapping the two of them might be fun." ami and ruru love each other — and each other's trainer — enough that they could handle the change in environment. they might even find it fun, but as mika worries inwardly, julie mentions the worries aloud: ami isn't suited to a ranger's lifestyle, which is true. wandering can be fun and satisfying for energetic pokemon, sure, but they also run the risk of heading straight into dangers they're not prepared for. [break][break]

the ranger's next thoughts are interrupted by the sight of julie squishing ruru in her hands like some sort of doll. the cherry pokemon squeaks happily in response, and mika can't stop the smile from crossing her face. she glances at ami, in turn, and pats the bounsweet on the head multiple times over. (part of mika almost wants to humor everyone present and pick up ami, hold the pokemon close to her chest, and squish in up-and-down motions as opposed to julie's side-to-side squeezing. almost.) [break][break]

the playful jab that julie makes is not lost on mika, and the ranger huffs quietly in response — not quite stiffening, but not physically reciprocating julie's little nudge, either. she gives the other an inquisitive look, a slight edge of amusement to their voice. "i think it's more like...our energies are different." they know too much about each other, but who else can mika talk to like this? who else can ebb and flow with her; complement and contrast? who else? [break][break]

"but i agree. not the best idea in the end. sorry, girls." mika isn't sure how much of their conversation the two grass-types actually understood, but they clearly understand that a swap is not going to happen anytime soon. besides, who knows if julie will even meet mika like this again, and vice versa? [break][break]

"still...i'm glad." mika leans back into the bench, sighing. it takes a moment for her to finish her thought, amber gaze shifting like the setting sun in julie's direction. "...that you're doing well, i mean." of course, everyone could always be doing better, but julie's okay and her pokemon seem fine, and sometimes that's all one can ask for. [break][break]

"do you want any?" mika almost forgot to offer the snacks in question, having been distracted by cute pokemon and their antics. what she produces from her bag is a small tupperware container filled with grapes, strawberries, and sliced watermelon. followed by a bag of trail mix, which is then followed up by a couple bottles of water. [break][break]

always prepared, indeed.[break][break]

+ Julie Solette | my turn to not sleep either; insanity edition.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]