[PMD BTS] Task RP: Advice and Assumptions
Frannie, Charlotte, and Asher are staying behind in Ethovalon to help take care of the refugees. Frannie and Asher decide to surprise Charlotte by getting her a gift, but Charlotte is much more surprised to find them out on the town together.
It was a quiet morning at the Team New Beginnings base, as were most mornings as of late since the rest of the team were off keeping the peace on the Snow Continent and investigating the strange weather at the Spiral Archipelago. In the meantime Frannie and Charlotte were seeing to the refugee crisis in town, the latter of which had been assisting the Blissey house while the former worked on making arrangements for more refugees to stay with them while their team was away. Currently they were only housing a few, a small Drampa family they had happened across during a previous mission. But the two rescuers quickly established a new sense of normal, and their days holding down the fort at home were mostly calm.
"113... that's acceptable, not terribly bad," Charlotte said to herself as she looked over the paper. "Frannie when is your birthday again?"
"Huh?" Frannie asked as she poured herself a cup of tea and came to sit with Charlotte at their tiny kitchen table. "Sept-september 18th. Why?"
"The horoscope column I read published their lucky birthday chart for next year," Charlotte explained as she ran her finger down the page, reaching the bottom, and then starting at the top again. "The lower your number is on the chart, the better luck you'll have. Looks like you are a... 152," she declared, her ears drooping slightly.
"Is... is that bad?" Frannie asked.
"Hmm... no, it's rather average. It's out of 365 days so you're much luckier than many others."
"Oh... we should do the others!" Frannie suggested.
"Okay," Charlotte agreed, placing her finger back on the list but then pausing. "Do you... know any of their birthdays?"
"Uh... Myrtle... doesn't know hers, and Emil didn't seem to understand when I asked. I guess they didn't have calendars in the uh... in the crypt he lived in? Gene's is July 30th! Cause we had the party," Frannie remembered.
Charlotte starting moving down the page before stopping quickly, her eyes widening and pulling the paper close to her face. "He got an 11!?" she asked incredulously. How did he have such a good luck fortune!?
"Oh! That's good, right?" Frannie asked happily. "Maybe that--maybe that means their mission will go well."
"Maybe," Charlotte agreed, still jealous of Gene's score. "When's Ananda's birthday?" she asked in an effort to move on, maybe she'd have better luck than them at least.
Asher gave a small, tired wheeze as he walked to the New Beginning base. He was still recovering from his phemonia, so he’d been forced to stay behind. That being said, they did still want him to be working. So lucky him was once again doing more then his share of work. Today he was collecting medical supplies lists for emergency ordering.
He knocked on the door and coughed into his arm. He despised the cold.
Frannie sipped her tea contently and watched as Charlotte's eyes ran intently down the list of birthdays. Her ears twitched reflexively when someone knocked at the door and she quickly rose from her seat. "I'll get it."
"Mm-hmm," Charlotte hummed in response, not looking up from the column she was reading.
Frannie opened the door, surprised to see who was waiting on the other side. "Oh, h-hi Asher!" she greeted cheerfully.
Charlotte let the paper fall back to the table. Asher was here!? But she hadn't done her makeup yet or her hair or anything! Arceus, she probably looked disgusting!
She picked up the paper again, carefully unfolding it in an attempt to hide her face, and keeping perfectly still. Maybe he wouldn't see her if she didn't move.
Frannie, meanwhile, was oblivious to Charlotte's internal panic. "What can I do for you?" she asked Asher. "Is--is everything okay?"
Asher gave a tired smile, pulling his coat closer around himself. “Yeah I uh- was sent to see what medical supplies you guys are missing. So I can p-put in the order”
"Oh!" Frannie said, opening the door wider. "Come in, I'll-I'll check with Charlotte."
Charlotte, on her part, buried her face deeper in the newspaper. This was not happening. Why couldn't Frannie just make up something herself!? Or just tell him to go away!?
None the wiser to Charlotte's internal turmoil Frannie walked back over to the kitchen and grabbed a pen and paper. "Uh... Asher's here and he--and he wants to know what supplies we need. I know we're low on bandages, is there--is there anything else I should ask for?"
"Ibuprofen," Charlotte said into the paper.
"Okay," Frannie said, moving to add the item to the list and then pausing. "Uh... how... how do you spell that?"
Charlotte groaned, unwillingly setting the paper aside and writing down what they needed. Really she was far from the complete mess she imagined herself to be, but the usual pink and purple that surrounded her eyes was not present and her lashes were not nearly so noticeable. Plus it looked as though she hadn't brushed her hair yet that morning.
"Here," she said, handing the list back a little too forcefully.
Frannie's ears pressed to her hair, sensing Charlotte's frustration for the first time and not sure what the cause was. Had she done something wrong? "Th-thank you," she said before returning to Asher.
Asher sat down on the couch, he really just wanted a moment to warm up. It was so cold outside and he thought his wings would just fall off. He leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to the girls talk.
He opened one eye and looked at Frannie. “That all? Well- that’s a easy order.”, he said with a smile.
"Yeah, we uh... we dont have many people here..." Frannie admitted her ears dropping slightly before bouncing back up with a determined smile. "But were hoping we can take more soon, once I make the arrangements."
Her eyebrows creased with concern. Asher looked so tired, was he alright? She heard from the others he was the lethargic type, but she didnt get to see that for herself too often.
"How--how are you doing? Would you like some tea? I have some already made, it's-it's no trouble really. Unless uh... unless you don't like tea maybe..." she rambled.
Asher gave a tired laugh. “Some tea sound great, it is cold out.”, he coughed into her arm a bit. He tucked his wings in tighter. He took the list and put it in his jacket. He got up off the bed and walked to the kitchen.
He noticed Charlotte. “Good morning Charlotte.”
Frannie's ears perked up when her mumbling only made Asher laugh in amusement. That's good, at least it didn't seem to bother him.
"Okay," she said cheerfully as she went to fetch him a cup.
No. No. No. No. No. Go home, Charlotte thought to herself, gripping the paper tightly when Asher noticed her. Clearly there would be no getting out of this.
She lowered the paper back down to the table with an exaggerated amount of care, trying her best to look dignified despite the fact that she'd only just recently gotten out of bed.
"Good morning Asher," she said back in her usual tranquil, even tone. "How have you been?" she added mostly because it was the first question that came to mind. She cared, of course, but she was too busy trying to keep up appearances to actually think about the conversation.
He sat down across from Charlotte, even when he looked tired he had this sort of sexy way his hair fell on one side. He gave her a smile, but one that had effort. “You look like you just got out of bed yourself Charlotte. Lucky Lady indeed. They made me get up before dawn.”
Charlotte flinched slightly when Asher casually pointed out her disheveled appearance. Her eyes narrowed, her ears pulling back disapprovingly, and a blush darkening her porcelain like skin. Her disapproving look and flushed cheeks only intensified when she noted his own hair. How was it fair that he could fall out of bed looking amazing?
"That must be very hard for you," she acknowledged, letting her eyes fall to the table. "It seemed these disasters have taken a toll on everyone's schedule." What she wouldn't give for her usual routine of being up at dawn herself and having time to go for her morning jog, shower, read, and so on before heading to work. But as it stood she was working night shifts more often than not.
"H-here Asher," Frannie said as she placed a cup of tea in front of him on the table before backing away awkwardly. Even now that their team was growing their kitchen was still tiny and they only had two chairs at the table, and since those were now occupied by Charlotte and Asher Frannie decided to busy herself in the kitchen by washing dishes.
“Hmmm- yeah. I hardly get to sleep at all with all the work.”, he ran a hand through his hair. He took the tea. “Ahhh- thanks so much Frannie.”, he sipped the tea. The entire cup all at once. It was warm, and he was cold.
“So what have you ladies been up to?”
"Mostly working at the Blissey House," Charlotte said. "They're understaffed. And also taking care of the few Spiral Archepelago residents staying with us."
"Yeah, and I've been uh... been trying to find ways to accommodate more," Frannie added as she dried a dish and stretched to place it back on a high shelf in the cabinet. "We were--we were looking to get a bigger base, and if... if this keeps up for some time we could use the extra--the extra space."
"How is--how is your team doing?" she asked. Usually Gene was better at keeping up with the activities of other teams, and with all the chaos as of late Frannie hadnt had the means to check in on their fellow guild members.
Asher listened to the girls. “Things are good. Apparently Fiona had something about going home and Grimshaw has been acting weird ever since. Most of my team left for the situation. We didn’t even take missions or anything in weeks because of it.”, he said. “I think a bigger base would be great for you guys. Even if not for recruits but for more personal space for you all.”
"Yes, this house is rather small even without so many people living here," Charlotte nodded in agreement.
"You... you think so?" Frannie asked. "I like it, it... it feels cozy."
"It's cramped," Charlotte insisted. "I'm surprised there's such a small building in the base district at all."
"Oh..." Frannie deflated, her ears drooping. This base had been the first real home Frannie had had in some time and she loved it to death. Gene had also been pushing to move elsewhere... did the others not feel the same?
Charlotte glanced to Frannie, her ears flicking up when the dreary expression on her leader caught her attention. "Maybe we can find something... similar. But with more rooms at least. Then Myrtle wouldn't have to live in the basement anymore."
"But... but Myrtle likes the basement," Frannie said. And given that Myrtle had been their first recruit and thus had first pick of the rooms available it was difficult to argue.
Frannie and Charlotte exchanged a look then, shared a silence conversation, as both their ears drooped and they looked away. Myrtle still hadn't returned after her fight with Gene, and with each passing day it was more and more concerning.
Asher leaned forward on the counter, arms crossed and resting his head on it. Hoestly he closed his eyes and had completely zoned out. His wings fluffed up slightly until he fell asleep. He didn't snore, but it was impressive how he was able to just completely shut off his mind like that.
After a moment of silence both Frannie and Charlotte looked over to see that Asher had fallen asleep, and then looked to each other for answers. Should they let him sleep? It sounded like he'd gotten up rather early that morning and had been working hard, clearly he needed the rest.
Charlotte glanced at the clock, surprise to find it was so late. "I need to go," she whispered to Frannie as she tried to carefully get up from her seat.
"Okay," Frannie said, handing Charlotte a bagged lunch from the fridge. "I'll--I'll wake him in a bit."
Charlotte nodded, giving Asher one last glance. He looked so peaceful like this, like a child. How adorable! But no, no this wasn't the time for that. She left quietly and made her way to the Blissey House.
Asher woke back up when he coughed himself awake. He looked around, and saw Charlotte was gone. “Oh uh-… must of fallen asleep again.”, he yawned loudly and stretched his back a bit.
"Oh, uh, yeah. Charlotte--she had to go to work and I figured--I figured I'd let you sleep," Frannie explained as she finished up with the dishes. She didn't really know Asher all that well and wasn't really sure what to say or do now that Charlotte wasn't here.
"Is... can I get you anything?" she asked, deciding to fall back on being a good hostess.
“Oh! This is perfect! I want to do a day date with Charlotte but I have very few ideas. I could use help with that.”
"O-oh?" Frannie stammered with a happy smile. "A date? That--that sounds nice! And she's been so over--over-worked lately, I bet she'll really like it."
"What um... what were you thinking?" she asked, her head tilting slightly and her curls bouncing. "Or uh, you said you didn't have any ideas?"
Asher leaned back into the chair and wondered. “Well I know she’s been super… uh… busy and all. And I want to do something nice for her. But I don’t know what to do honestly…”
"Hmmm... well..." Frannie muttered to herself with a thoughtful pout, her eyes drifting around the kitchen as she considered the options. "I know she--I know she likes shopping. We--we go together sometimes and that--and that seems to cheer her up. But she also doesn't--doesn't really seem to want to do much lately. So maybe... maybe something small? Some kind of like... 'stay at home' date? Is that a thing? Or--or do you have to uh... go out to... go out?" she asked. It wasn't as though she had a lot of experience with planning dates.
"Isn't uh... isn't Chronos coming to town soon? Maybe--maybe he will have something you could do," Frannie suggested. After all Gene was always excited when Chronos came to town, hoping he'd throw a gala of some sort. Granted he was usually disappointed, but maybe other couples liked these new events Chronos hosted event if Gene preferred his previous parties.
“Well he always has those galas right? Those fancy parties. Maybe I should ask Charlotte to go there? Buy her a dress or something?”, he rubbed his neck. “She’s a classie lady, likes the finer things in life so- uh- maybe I should dress up too… right?”, he looked at Frannie.
"Oh, is he having one this time?" Frannie asked excitedly. "I think--I think she'd really like that!"
Frannie pressed a finger to her lips as she tried to remember when she'd gone to the gala last year with Arius. "Yeah, last year--last year everyone was really dressed up. I went dress shopping with Fiona at the time and she--she was really sweet and bought my dress. I... I know I really liked that. I think--I think Gene went with some of the men from Team Blackstar to buy a suit? I'm... I'm not sure where they went, but someone on their team might know," she suggested. She didnt know much about suits, but dresses she had experience at least.
“Hm….”, he took out his little notebook and wrote down what the other was saying. “Dress… for her…. Suit for…. The guys… ask others….”, he mumbled as he wrote.
“Should- I ask her to go dress shopping or is this an activity for just the girls?”
"Oh I... I dont know," Frannie mumbled. "When I went it was... oh! Hue was there too! So--so maybe it's fine if you went with her?" Frannie said, thinking out loud.
"But me and Charlotte go together a lot, and--and she always refers to it as a 'girl time'? So uh... I'm not sure."
“Let’s see… ladies on my team… Ezra… Luna… I think- Artemis still counts as a lady… and Lu.”, he counted on his hand. “Uh- maybe make it a team outting with Myrtle?”
Frannie ears had been up while Asher listed off possible teammates to go dress shopping with, but they quickly fell and Frannie averted her gaze. "Myrtle... Myrtle's not hear right now," she said. "I think she... she might have left the team." Really at this point she hoped that was what had happened. What if she got hurt? Or was in trouble? Frannie had tried going out searching for her, but she wasnt the tracker Emil was. She just hoped Myrtle was okay.
“Oh? Well- maybe she is having a coming of age moment. The ghost pokemon around where I use to live did it.”
"A... a coming of age?" Frannie asked, tilting her head innocently. "What do you mean?" She couldn't recall Gene or Arius ever speaking of such things.
“Sounds backwards I know sorry.“
Frannie's eyebrows puckered in confusion. "No, it's--I'm sorry I just... don't understand. Like what... have you seen--seen a lot of other ghosts go through this?" she asked. She didn't know if Asher was familiar with the whole coming back to life side of ghosts so she didnt want to give away too much, but if he could tell her anything about what Myrtle was going through she wanted to know.
“I don’t talk to ghost but they just kinda run off and rebel like any other kids. Working at the orphanage, I endured every form of teenage angst and rebellion. From running away to hunger strikes and so on. Usually, it is just them struggling with their identity changing. Being treated as a kid, being talked down to, when they feel so adult.”, he explained.
"Oh... I... I see..." Frannie mumbled timidly, looking down at the floor as her hands knotted in her dress. Myrtle had needed a lot of help when they first brought her home but... had she outgrown that? In truth she was only a year or two younger than Frannie herself was, though she often forgot. With how little Myrtle knew of modern life Frannie always thought of her as much younger, like a baby that would burn their hand on a hot stove if left alone. Was it thoughts like this that drove Myrtle away?
Frannie bit her lip, trying to keep it together but tears welling in her eyes all the same.
"Um... did you--did you need to go?" she asked, rubbing the tears away. "You uh... you said you were picking up orders? For medical supplies? I dont--I dont want to keep you. Not that--! Not that you're not welcome here, of course, I just uh..."
“Yeah but I have a few days to do that.”, he yawned loudly. “I uh- hm…. Guess I wanted to come visit Charlotte a little but- she’s to busy and I accidentally fell asleep and missed my chance…”, there was an edge of sadness to his voice.
Frannie's eyebrows pulled together sympathetically. "Oh, I'm... I'm sorry your visit didn't go how you were hoping," she said. These recent disasters had shaken up everyone's lives, from the victims to the guild members. With their numbers spread so thin it seemed everyone was always needed somewhere, and overworked as a result. Frannie was sad to see such an opportunity missed.
"What if... what if you stopped by the Blissey House?" she asked. "Do you--do you need to take their order? Or pick up supplies? Maybe you could see her there, even--even for just a little bit."
“Hmm… maybe…”, he scratches his cheek. “I just don’t want to annoy her. As much as I enjoy her presence she can be- uh- well she likes things a certain way. So. I don’t know if going there would help or hurt”
"Oh... yeah that... that makes sense," Frannie agreed. Charlotte could be very particular and she wasn't sure how she would react to being bothered at work. "Well I... I like your gala idea. Charlotte loves dressing up and going out so that--that sounds like something she'd like."
“Oh! Maybe- not a dress but…what about an accessory? Something she can pick a dress around? You’ll help me won’t your Frannie?”
"O-of course! I'd be happy to," Frannie said happily, her ears perked up. "Charlotte seems to really like jewelry but--but doesn't have very much, I think she'd really like that."
“Do you know what her favorite gems are or- like what color she prefers? I think pink and purple would look lovely on her but- I can also see her liking more dynamic colors…. “
"I uh... I don't know," she admitted sadly. Favorite gemstones? That was a luxury she hadn't considered much at all herself. "Charlotte did tell me something... something about birthstones? So maybe--maybe get her the one that goes with her birthday? Whichever that is? We were just talking about birthdays this morning, hers is February 16th so probably, probably we can look up which stone that should be."
“Uh- It is amethyst right? A purple gemstone…”, he laughed to himself. “I guess purple it is then. The girls at the orphanage use to love that stuff- horoscopes too.”
"Yeah I think that sounds right..." Frannie said noncommittally. "I don't... I'm not that knowledgeable on birthstones, but Charlotte told me about them before and--and that sounds familiar. And she does like purple so--so that should be good either way."
"If you're... if you dont have to get all the orders now did you want to go pick out something today?" Frannie asked, wondering what his plans were.
“I did… mostly be I don’t know how supply chains might be disrupted. Plus with so many pokemon a lot of shops are a bit scarce. Can you spare a hour or two to help me?”
"Sure," Frannie said with a smile. "I was planning--planning to head to the guild headquarters anyway. We want to--want to buy another base and there's some paperwork. I need to get--get in contact with someone about our options. So if--if you don't mind stopping there on the way back I can go whenever."
Asher nodded, “That sounds good to me.”, he got up and pushed his chair in. “I saved quite a bit of poke since I don’t buy much for myself. I wanted to get her a nice holiday gift but all the- work derailed that.”
"Yeah, I think--I think work has really affected a lot of people lately," Frannie agreed with a sad smile as she grabbed her coat and earmuffs.
Frannie and Asher made their way into town, which despite so many guild members being shipped out was still very crowded with shoppers searching for holiday gifts. Window displays were filled with all matter of potential presents, and it was not difficult at all for the two of them to find a necklace Charlotte would like. The roads were slippery as they made their way to the guild hall, Frannie nearly falling and Asher managing to catch her which resulted in a lot of 'thank you's and embarrassed laughing.
Charlotte was on her break and volunteered to go on a coffee run as she missed getting to go on her jogs in the mornings and the chance to stretch her legs would do her some good. She heard a familiar laugh and spotted Frannie and Asher walking together and standing oddly close. What... why was he with her? Why was she laughing?
Charlotte ducked behind a corner to avoid being seen, her ears pulling back as a pit formed in her stomach. She waited patiently for them to pass before continuing on her way, hugging her arms tightly under her shawl, though her cheeks burned with shame. How could they do this to her, either of them? They were her closest friends. Well, clearly she'd been wrong.