Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

Snippet #2810849

located in Kanto Region, a part of Pokémon: Atonement, one of the many universes on RPG.

Kanto Region

The Kanto region: filled with various pokémon and nefarious deeds.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cyrilla Niav Character Portrait: Anastasia Asher Character Portrait: Rocket Files Character Portrait: Nevena Solomon
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

Footnotes

Add Footnote »

0.00 INK



February 17th
Ana's Home - Evening - Crisp
Nevena Solomon


Nev glanced at the cookie box, and back at the bowl in front of her. “Uh, I'm not so sure I'm doing this right," she said as she glanced towards the others. They were currently at Ana's house because somehow Cyrilla and Mel convinced Nev and Ana to bake cookies using the boxed kind of baking mix. There was also something about just spending quality girl time together. Nev wasn't so sure about that, especially the way Cyrilla had smirked a bit, however; she was currently dealing with a bit of a problem with these cookies.

“You're following the directions, yes?" Cyrilla stated, glancing over Nev's shoulder at the box.

“Down to the letter," Nev replied, pursing her lips together. Cyrilla shook her head, though, and took the box from Nev, glancing at the directions it seemed. She snorted softly before setting the box back down.

“Nev... I love you, you know, but you forgot to add the eggs," she stated, causing Nev to furrow her brows.

“I thought I put those in there?"

Cyrilla merely shook her head.

Mel cackled. "Doesn't that have like... three components? How'd you forget one of three?" It was a light jab, though, more amused than anything, and she nudged the half-carton of eggs next to her in Nev's direction.

"You can kind of think of it like chemistry, Nev," Ana added. "Most things need an emulsifying agent, and in a lot of baked goods, that's what eggs do, because of their chemical composition."

“Oh, that makes it so much easier when you put it that way, " Nev stated as she grinned in Ana's direction. Cyrilla merely chuckled and took a spot up on one of the nearby stools, glancing in Ana and Mel's direction.

“So, Melly," she began, directing her attention towards the younger woman. “Was Drake that convincing that he managed to bring you back home with him almost in the same day?" she asked in a lightly teasing manner. Nev chuckled lightly, but began cracking the eggs into the bowl.

“Oh, wait, congratulations are still in order. You beat the gym leader in Viridian, so that means you'll be making a go at the Elite Four, right?" Nev asked as she began wisking the ingredients together.

The younger woman snorted, shaking her head. "Well his complete doofiness is charming, but it didn't exactly go down like that, no. I beat the Gym Leader—thanks by the way Nev—and he showed up in Viridian on Valentine's Day to surprise me. I'd kind of been considering my next move, because I really need to train more before I take my shot at the Elite Four. One thing I've been considering is getting some more tournament experience, and I'd also considered coming back here." She grinned.

"Where else would I find such a high concentration of really good training partners who would give me the time of day, after all?"

"Oh was that all?" Ana asked, the faintest bit of lilt entering her voice.

Mel coughed slightly into her elbow. "Well look, if you could live on the same island as your boyfriend and work on all your career goals at the same time, wouldn't you?"

“Oh, you have a point there, Mel. It's almost like you and Ryk, right Ana? Since you both are... well, dating and working at the same place," Nev stated as she smiled in Ana's direction. Cyrilla snickered softly but shook her head.

“You got me there; I'd probably do the same," Cy stated.

“Probably, or would?" Nev couldn't help herself, and grinned in Cy's direction.

“Oh no, definitely would. I mean, there'd be nothing better, right? It's almost like living a dream. C'mon Nev, don't tell me you don't think of things like that. Not after all that trouble Kas and I went to to set up your Fletchinder account."

Nev actually forgot about that. It wasn't like she was using it, anyway. She didn't have a reason to, or at least not a reasonable reason.

Ana shook her head slightly, but didn't answer the accusation directly. Her cheeks were a little pink, though, as she deftly cracked her eggs into a smaller bowl, whisking them into consistency before adding them to the mix.

"Oh that's right, I remember that," Mel said, apparently referring to the Fletchinder thing. "No Valentine's date for you then, Nev? I have to admit I'm kind of... surprised." She didn't indicate why, though.

Cyrilla sighed almost dramatically, as if she had expected something different, but Nev just shook her head. “It's fine, really. I'm... kind of used to being the person who doesn't go out on dates, but I wouldn't say I didn't do anything that day," she stated, smiling fondly at the memory. It was still fresh to her, even if it had happened three days ago.

“Oh? Do tell. What did you do?" Cyrilla asked, curious as she arched a brow at Nev.

“Well, Aidan took me to this probattling museum that he'd rented out for the night," she began, placing the bowl down so she could grab one of the cooking sheets. “After that, we had a battle, which turned out to be more like Fluffy just chasing Spike around the grounds. It was adorable," especially after the way Spike went down in his dramatic fashion.

“We went to dinner after that. It was a really nice night, regardless," Nev finished. She was slightly confused at the flat look Cyrilla was giving her, as she dragged a hand down her face.

“Oh my... arceus, Nev. What am I going to do with you?" Cyrilla stated, shaking her head a bit.

Mel burst out into laughter. Even Ana was sort of smiling.

"So I was right," Mel said. "You totally went on a date."

Nev felt her eyes widen at Mel's comment. A date? No, that couldn't be right. Why would Aidan take her on a date? “I'm sure it wasn't like that at all," she stated, smiling a little nervously. If it had been a date of any kind, he would have told her, right? Aidan wasn't the type of person who kept things a secret and had been pretty forward with his thoughts and actions.

They were likely misreading the situation. “We just went to a museum, had a battle, and had dinner after. If it was a date, I'm sure he'd..." she didn't know how to finish that. He'd have, what? Told her?

“Nev, my dearheart. He took you to a probattling museum and rented it out for just the two of you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like a man who has taken a keen interest in what you like, and did something of that nature for you on Valentine's Day," Cyrilla stated, still giving Nev a rather incredulous look.

“I doubt it was that, Cyrilla. It's not... like that at all," because surely Aidan wouldn't see her like that. Nev didn't consider herself anything that could hold a person's interest, but when Aidan would talk about the things that she was, the things that she did, it made her feel warm and fuzzy. Nev never considered herself any of those things. She was just a soft and squishy person who most people just glanced over unless they needed her for a project of some sort.

“Sure, whatever you say, Nev. I'm not going to push, even though it's my specialty, but..." Cyrilla trailed off, giving Nev a gentle smile. “You shouldn't beat down on yourself like that. We've already told you that Big Bro isn't the type of person who is swayed by beauty and shit like that. If he likes you, it's because he likes you, and not some... fake version of you." Cyrilla made a vague gesture but Nev chuckled all the same.

“Well what about you two, what did you do for Valentine's Day?" Nev stated as she glanced back towards Ana and Cyrilla.

"Um, well... Eryk and I went to the backisland," Ana said, suddenly very intently focused on stirring her mix. "With a packed lunch. Well, dinner, really, but it was the same thing as lunch would have been. It was—" Her brow furrowed, like she was trying to come up with the right word. "It was nice."

"'Nice'?" Mel echoed, half-grinning. "That's all you're going to give us?"

Ana looked at her like she didn't know how to respond to that, eyes a little wide. "I, um." Slowly, her face started to flush. "I don't know what else to say exactly. He just makes me feel—" She paused, then shook her head. "He makes me feel."

Nev smiled at Ana's comment. She could understand what Ana meant. “It's nice, isn't it," Cyrilla spoke, leaning on the counter a bit. “Having those kinds of feels," she added as if to clarify what she'd meant.

“It's like a little warm and fuzzy feeling that kind of just travels all over and it's almost like..." she trailed off, a slightly distant look in her eyes before she shook her head. “Getting a little ahead of myself."

“I still think it was sweet that you and Ryk went to the backisland for some... uh, how could I put it," Nev started as she began scooping her mix into little balls. “Alone time? I think that's the right phrase."

Mel laughed. "You know that's usually a euphemism for sex, right Nev?" Her eyes narrowed with mirth.

Ana nearly seemed to choke on air. "N-no, it wasn't anything like—" her flush deepened until she was crimson. "I mean for a minute I thought—wait, no it's still not. Um." She sighed.

Nev was almost certain that she was as deeply flushed as Ana was. She hadn't meant it like that. Cyrilla seemed to have found it funny, though, and was laughing along with Mel. “No... oh, no I didn't mean it like that. I mean... what you do in private is your own business, but I didn't mean it like that," she stated, fanning her face to help cool it down.

“Oh my arceus, Nev. Look, we're all women who know what we want; is it so wrong to look at them like that?" Cyrilla stated, putting emphasis on the words and arching her brow.

“Well... I just... I'd never." Arceus why was Nev even thinking about it? It's not like she'd... oh, she needed to stop.

"You'd never? Really? You sure?" Mel seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to tease them, to say the least. "Because I'm just saying, if I was single and maybe a few years older, I absolutely would." With that pronounced, she started scooping dough out of her bowl and onto the greased cookie sheet, having elected for classic chocolate chip mix earlier at the grocery store.

Nev felt for a moment like she couldn't breathe, and she pursed her lips together in Mel's direction. She could feel the blush on her face deepening, before she turned her attention back to her cookie mix. “What I meant by that is that I..." she paused, feeling strangely like something was holding her tongue. “I'm sure it would be something that would come up if we were dating but we're not, so," she spoke in one breathe, sticking her tongue out in a childish manner towards Mel.

Cyrilla chuckled lightly and shook her head. “You know, there's nothing wrong with being a little forward, Nev. You, too, Ana," she began, side-glancing in Ana's direction. “If you like him enough to want to date him, you should probably tell him, Nev. And you," she turned fully towards Ana, “if you want something more with Ryk, then tell him. Ryk is about as forward as one could possibly be, but he's also a bit dense when it comes to what people want. Just give him the right push; he can follow a good lead." Cyrilla winked in Ana's direction before making off with her own peanut butter cookie mix and rolling them into small balls.

“That's easier said than done," Nev murmured.

Mel smiled sympathetically. "I get that; I really do," she said, shaking her head a bit. "With a history like mine, deciding what I want and when is... complicated. But I think it all comes down to trust. Part of it's trusting who you're with, of course. Trusting them not to try to take things too far, or push you. And trusting them to be honest about what they want and don't, and not to ridicule whatever you decide you want. But, if you can do that, then what it really comes down to after is trusting yourself."

She glanced up, rolling her eyes, but not in a mocking way. "Which one's harder really depends on the person, but I think for most people it usually ends up being the second one, deep down."

That was, perhaps, the best way to put it, Nev thought. Trust wasn't something most people could easily give, and trusting yourself was harder for most people. Nev didn't trust herself with a lot of things, but this one thing... this was different. Perhaps because she'd never quite experienced relationships in quite the same way as Mel had, or Cyrilla. She wasn't even entirely sure if Ana had much experience with relationships, not because she was still a young woman, barely nineteen years old, but... well, Nev didn't think that Ana had quite the same problems as she did when she was Ana's age.

Cyrilla arched a brow at Mel, though, and tilted her head slightly. “A history like yours? I... get the feeling that it wasn't exactly a smooth experience for you, was it?" she stated, her voice oddly calm and free of any sort of teasing tone.

Mel laughed, a little ruefully. "That's putting it lightly." Pursing her lips, she paused in her work and regarded the other three with much more serious eyes. "Could I... tell you guys something? Not for advice or anything just... because I want to tell you?"

Ana nodded immediately. "Of course you can, Mel. I think I speak for all of us when I say you always can."

With a little nod, Mel turned around, leaning back on the counter and wiping idly at her fingers with a cloth. "So you guys have probably picked up on the fact that I've dated around a lot, but that's... really only kind of true. Honestly, I haven't really had a serious relationship, and even the not serious ones have been... short." She grimaced. "And really, really not serious. Maybe like... a date or two. Because usually the kinds of guys I date just... expect things at a certain pace, and I don't trust them enough to explain why I can't do that." She shrugged.

"Maybe some of them would have understood, but the thing I've learned is to look for the people who don't demand explanations. Who just... accept it when I say something, and listen if I want to explain." She pursed her lips, looking down at her hands. "Sorry, rambling. The point is, the reason why I think trust is so important in a relationship is because I know what it's like when someone breaks it. I was seeing this guy. Derek. On my journey, the first time. I met him when I was fourteen and he was sixteen. Or that's what he said anyway. We kept running into each other, like in all those movies about journey romances, you know." She rolled her eyes.

"Mom told me to be careful about that, wouldn't even let me start my journey until I was fourteen. Even then I had to beg her and promise to call every day to check in and always have my pokégear GPS on. But I had it in my head that this was some big romantic destiny thing, and so when he asked me to travel with him I jumped at the chance. He started calling me his girlfriend, and we did all the normal stuff. Camped together, took gym challenges on the same day, all of that." She lifted a hand, waving it in a vague gesture.

"At first he just wanted to like... kiss me and stuff. I was always the one who had to tell him to back off when things went too far, but at first he listened. Mostly. But then he started getting irritated more and more often. And then, well, after I turned fifteen he apparently decided we'd been together long enough that he got to force the issue."

Ana's expression was horrified, eyes wide. "Oh, Mel, I'm so—"

Mel smiled though. "Nothing you need to apologize for, Ana. Anyway, I fought him off eventually and ran away from the campsite. He uh... followed. With a knife. If I hadn't missed my daily call, and Mirmir hadn't been nearby to come physically check on me, I probably would have died."

She lifted the hem of her shirt. On the left side of her abdomen was a collection of scars, each about the size of Ana's little finger, maybe six of them, paler than the surrounding skin. "I spent a lot of time in the hospital, and then... quit my journey for a few years. Mirmir, uh... tracked him down. I still don't know exactly what happened, but I know he almost got arrested for it. But Derek didn't want to explain why his ex-girlfriend's brother had beat the shit out of him. Mom asked if I wanted to go to court, but... much as I wanted to stop that asshole from hurting anyone else, it was my word against his, and he came from a pretty big-deal family."

Nev was horrified. Had that really happened to Mel? She didn't seem the type to lie about something, especially about something like that. Nev had to force a lump in her throat down. Cyrilla's knuckles were bone white, though, as if she'd been clenching them too tightly.

“It's always the big-deal families that get away with shit," she stated, shaking her head slightly. “Deserved more than getting the shit beat out of him, but..." she continued, glancing back in Mel's direction. “If you ever need anything, Melly, you just say it. You have my number; I'll be there as fast as I can be. I'm glad that you're here, though, and that you're still doing you."

Nev nodded her head as well. “I'd like to say that goes for all of you," she stated, turning towards Mel, Cyrilla, and Ana. “If you ever need something, or just want someone to talk to, you can always call me. I'd gladly listen, especially if all you want to do is talk," she smiled warmly at the three of them.

Mel grinned at all of them. "Thanks, guys. But yeah. Point being trust is hard. I for one am going to give it another shot, though. And not just with Drake. With having friends, too."

“We all are kind of friends, aren't we?" Cyrilla grinned, causing Nev to purse her lips together.

“I'd like to think that we are friends. And not just kind of," she replied, causing Cyrilla to snicker.

“Yeah, well, we're making cookies at Ana's house while the boys are out, so... yeah, I think that makes us friends."