[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]her expression pinches, searing understanding hitting like a knife to the stomach...

because his new life did not include her. if it had, he would've taken her with him.

they would have gotten out together.

instead, she was left behind and forgotten about...

"then why didn't you take me with you?"

her voice is small, fragile, desolate.

"i had to track you down in order to even ask for your help. if i hadn't, i would still be there because you didn't come back for me."

it's painful, she realizes, to see the truth for what it is.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]he hits on a wound he, perhaps, doesn't expect. she feels the knife sink in, twist, and the immediate springing of blood where it pierced through skin.

"because you left me first!"

her expression twists with the knife until all she displays is open hurt.

"you left me behind in rocket, got yourself a brand new life with a new girl and new digs, and you wanna talk to me about leaving?"

stubbornly, she swipes an angry hand at her eyes to stop whatever frustrated tears spring up. in the process, a sad sigh escapes.

"i wouldn't leave you, but you've always pushed me away."

finding someone better, someone new... leaving her behind in the dust every time. it's nothing new, but it still stings each time.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]the rotom have the right idea, perhaps, to escape while they can for the argument grows with his yelling acting as a splash of kerosene on an open flame.

"why the hell would i stop seeing you?"

does he even hear himself?

"do you honestly think i'd just move out and never speak to you again? you really think that lowly of me?"

even now, in the heat of it all, they still seem to dance around the true subject.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]like a timebomb, she feels herself ticking down toward explosion.

"it's not the same at all!"

she wants to yell, to stomp her heels into the ground, and throw the biggest tantrum rustboro gym has ever seen. she barely keeps herself in check as he claps back at her, as he throws another layer into the fight. her cheeks heat with hot anger and she stalks forward, raising a hand to lightly jab a finger into the center of his chest in time with her words.

"you. don't. either!"

her eye narrows, eyepatch suddenly irritating against her skin.

"you keep throwing all this blame on me for the same exact shit you do. that's so beyond unfair."

she retracts her finger from his chest, seemingly deciding she has jabbed him enough.

"what do you want, cian? for once, just tell me."

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]"it's exactly that simple!"

at some point, her arms fold over her chest. the resistance has all but failed.

"i didn't make any sort of decision. i was just considering it and browsing around. that's sooo different than signing a damn lease, cian."

she frowns, then, and a look of mild hurt crosses her features for a second.

"why should what you want not matter? have you even stopped to consider we might want the same thing or?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]her expression creases with mild petulance.

"doesn't seem fine."

she resists the urge to cross her arms over her chest, to go on the defensive and further solidify the fight, but her reasoning is waning.

"why can't you be honest about this?"

she started it, really, but irritation flares up regardless in the face of her own misstep.

"do you want me to move out or not?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]beneath the weight of pettiness, she shrinks.

"it was only supposed to be temporary... how would you not get tired of me overstaying my welcome?"

neither of them communicated. they simply danced around each other and the cufant in the room. the consequences rear their ugly heads now.

"it's your place, cian, not mine. why wouldn't i eventually move?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]her expression falters and falls.

"i just... figured you're sick of me by now, you know?"

his reaction, however, doesn't align with the intrusive thoughts plaguing her brain. on the contrary, it seems to be the complete opposite.

he stands and after a moment, a hand is extended toward her. she hesitates before taking it and rising to her feet.

"i do like rustboro."

but she suspects that has more to do with him than the city itself. she almost voices the thought, but in the end, she holds back.

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]she feels the mistake settle heavy on her shoulders as his expression falters, as he peels away from her and sits upright.

and she isn't quite sure she's ever wanted to retract a statement as much as she does right now. the uncomfortable sensation of imminent loss rises like bile in her throat.

"maybe? i was just looking at listings."

a beat passes and she wants to let the silence linger, but she forces herself to pipe up again. it comes out tentative, unsure.

"are you sure it's cool?"

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]in the final clearing, just before the end, she finds her litten.

it's small, clearly the runt of the litter, and it sticks out like a sore thumb against the other five babies of the group. their mother seems to be missing at the moment, likely hunting food, and gia takes the opportunity to slowly approach.

and her litten - yes, it's already hers - locks eyes with her for a moment before stumbling away from its siblings to approach her. she can tell it's young by the little bumper car tail it has.

"ooooh, bitty baby!"

she reaches out a hand for the litten to sniff and once it begins rubbing its cheeks against the side of her hand, she's certain she has been accepted. she scoops the litten up, grinning wildly as it purrs softly against her chest, and all but runs out of the safari zone to head home with her brand new kitty.

thank you, cat distribution system!

warden's safari.
capturing shiny litten
1/4

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]her expression flitters between annoyance, pain, and... guilt. does she tell him? or does she simply pretend she's not aiming to get off his couch and into her own place?

"no i'm not!"

the petulant response is what she settles on at first, nothing more than a flare up of a quick temper. it smooths back out and she watches as he turns to face her, closer than he was before. there, she can't hide.

"actually, i was considering getting my own place soon..."

CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]they're in the final stretch, she thinks. a little further and she'll hopefully be the mother to yet another cat.

the rustling of nearby bushes attracts her immediate attention, then, and her head whips toward the source of the sound...

only to find that it's not, in fact, a cat - it's a pichu, small and fearful. she has to will her expression to not fall to spare the poor thing's feelings.

and after petting it on the head for a few moments, she shuffles on ahead to find her litten.

warden's safari.
skipping
1/4

[attr="class","giada"]

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

[attr="class","giada i”]her body collides into his with a soft squeak of surprise and she has to blink stars out of her eyes when the ground rushes up to greet them. somewhere along the way, her head smashes into his shoulder and she lets out a litany of curses.

and in the aftermath, as the self destruct settles back into stillness, she trembles slightly.

”well, shit.”

she lost, almost blew up, and hit her head… disappointing.

after a moment, she tries to peel herself away from him with a soft, ”sorry, you okay?”

CIAN MAHER