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It was her turn to share in the embarrassment. Just as Hitoshi had done, Nabi hid her face, except she didn't have a scarf to bury it into. Instead, she turned it away from him. "It's not like that!" she exclaimed in defense. "I'm not like you, harboring feelings for a woman I work for."[break][break]

She tested her words, let the weight of them sit in her chest, searching for a reaction. Hitoshi had caused her heart to momentarily jump, but when she let his accusation simmer, deep down, Nabi was well-assured what she felt for Yumi.[break][break]

"I truly just admire her," she said, straightening and facing him again. "I also come from a... troubled home. Yumi is someone I hold in high regard and respect." She paused, looked down, and then held her gaze with Hitoshi. "You and I are alike, more than I'd like to admit."[break][break]

She would have never guessed a stray puppy could share so many similarities with a caged butterfly.[break][break]

"I was just curious," Nabi then went on to say, the hue of her flushed cheeks fading as quickly as they came. "If you love her, I would think you'd be jealous or something. I think that's what love is to me."

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"That makes no sense," she immediately replied and pulled her hands away from Hitoshi. She noted how he used his scarf to hide the tint of red at his cheeks. "And, gross, I don't wanna picture..." She felt shivers up her spine and shook her head. "That's not how the red string bull crap works."[break][break]

She personally didn't believe in the melodramatics of love or some greater fate tying people together, but if she did, she was almost certain sharing a red thread with someone meant you were soulmates. She had watched enough TV dramas to know that soulmates could mean ups and downs, but it always meant the two ended up together.[break][break]

"So what, she's your first love because she acknowledged you? You know you can love other people, right?" She looked around, as if implying he could find his next romantic encounter here, and then quickly realized an underground fight scene was not the place to fall in love.[break][break]

A heavy sighed slipped past her lips, drowned out by the excessive cheering as a match came to an end. She realized it was incredibly strange to have such a deep, philosophical conversation with someone about relationships and love surrounded by violence. If she thought hard, maybe she could draw similarities between the two.[break][break]

"I swear, I've watched this on TV before," Nabi mused, arms now crossed at her chest. She leaned in to Hitoshi, brows furrowed together, and spoke lowly, "Do you know if Yumi was involved romantically with anyone else before?"

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Nabi listened with half-lidded eyes, silently judging Hitoshi for being much more sensitive than she could have guessed. But she was certainly intrigued by what he had to say. In the midst of the screaming, the blood, and the clashing of fists, he spilled his swollen heart.[break][break]

"Oh my god," Nabi said. She brought a hand to her cheek and shook her head. "You're, like, seriously in love with her."[break][break]

Admiration held nothing against love, and the way Hitoshi looked as he spoke of Yumi, as if she was far beyond his distance, yet so close in reach... his feelings were palpable. She could not relate to his deep, one-sided yearning.[break][break]

Nabi pursed her lips. "I'm pretty sure you can't have a red string of fate or whatever with someone if they don't feel the same way about you," she commented. Yumi had mentioned romance and boys before, but she never mentioned Hitoshi in that space. "Unless..." Her eyes widened. Both hands reached to grab Hitoshi by the shoulders firmly. "Are you secretly dating each other? Have you been lovers this whole time?"

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The unexpected crash of water against her skin sent Nabi into shock. When she opened her eyes, all she could make out was a blue-tinted blur. Disoriented, she paddled through the water, straight toward an unassuming lanturn.[break][break]

The moment her hand accidentally clutched the lanturn's bulb, electricity consumed her and the surrounding water. A gurgle of bubbles escaped her mouth, along with the last of her oxygen reserves. And just like that, she lost conscious, and her body floated still in the water while the lanturn furiously swam off.

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There was little reason for Nabi to return to Sootopolis, except for Yumi. She had hesitated in answering, but even in hesitation, Nabi knew she would respond to Yumi's call.[break][break]

She came prepared today in water-repellent attire, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun. She considered that her knee-length boots may have been overkill, but at least they were cute.[break][break]

"Yumi," Nabi felt herself say with a relieved sigh. Even though she knew her boss was safe from the tragedy, she had yet to see for herself. Her presence gave Nabi some reassurance that things would, eventually, get better.[break][break]

Her boots kicked up against the lingering water as she came toward Yumi. Bruno, her swampert, followed in stride on all fours. He made a low grunting sound in return to the vaporeon's mews.[break][break]

"I know, seriously insane," Nabi added. She surveyed the casino in its drowned state. The occasional seaweed had been displaced, some floating at their feet, others slapped against a slot machine or roulette table. Nabi tried her best to smile for Yumi. "You could take advantage of the change and go for an underwater theme. Sort of like a "lost city" kinda thing."

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Hitoshi's words painted an unwanted picture in Nabi's head, but she understood. Chills prickled across her spine, ironic and familiar. It was like she was having a conversation with her grandfather.[break][break]

"Funny," the pinkette said with a sigh. "I was going to ask you the same thing."[break][break]

The simple answer was: yes. In a way, Yumi had saved her. At a time when she was jobless and practically alone, Yumi had presented her with an opportunity. She wondered if that was the case for Hitoshi as well.[break][break]

"She's an incredible woman that I look up to. I'd still be homeless if it wasn't for her." Nabi paused. "Actually, I'm still homeless, but I can pay for food."[break][break]

"But you..." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "There's more to you and Miss Yumi than just boss and worker, isn't there?" She stared him down, wanting answers.

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She froze at the call of her own name. The voice felt inherently familiar, but she didn't recognize them until she turned her head and saw the face of Rustboro's gym leader.[break][break]

She sucked in her breath.[break][break]

Several options came to Nabi's mind in that moment. She could attack Cian. It was better he didn't know anymore. She could also run away, but what would stop him from chasing? She could lie, make up an excuse for the unconscious man beneath her. Cian wouldn't be that dumb, though.[break][break]

Her grandfather's voice echoed inside her head, urging her to kill the witnesses.[break][break]

She considered him a friend, or something. Nabi knew she didn't want to hurt him, but the memories of her grandparents pushing her to finish the job made her fingers twitch to take action.[break][break]

Running at least would keep her from hurting him.[break][break]

Nabi finally exhaled and turned to the opposite direction, leaving behind the beaten man with his belongings still intact. Her feet shuffled across the ground's natural terrain, dodging anything that would cause her to slip. But with water surrounding the man-made path and the cycling road hovering above, there was little room for her to make a proper escape.[break][break]

She raced on, forcing herself to keep looking ahead, but when she thought she heard Cian call out to her again, Nabi made the mistake of looking back.[break][break]

And running off the path into cold ocean water.

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Nabi liked the idea of Yumi going on a date. She immediately pictured the beautiful woman clothed in something classy yet sexy at the same time. And of course, all of her dates were just as handsome and came with a sense of fashion.[break][break]

And then here was Nabi, paired with a mutt and his sword. She wasn't exactly date-material either though.[break][break]

"That's funny," she mused. "I've never been on one either. I wonder what that says about people like us." She met his eyes and made a wry smile. Unless one counted her "date" with CIAN MAHER the real thing. She didn't know any better.[break][break]

"Actually, this isn't a date," she then corrected herself. A bell sounded. The next match approached. "It just had a nice ring to it." Then, she chuckled. "Which means we're still dateless."[break][break]

"So, what's this about fake violence? What's that even supposed to mean? Like, wrestling?" She snorted and pointed to the still sword. "You do actually know how to use that thing, right?"