adventures in romancing of many kinds

“Magoria? I hope you don’t mind me pulling you away from your studies.”

The ghastly Glaceon softly purred, entering the dimly-lit quarters of the Litwick-Zorua’s abode. To this, Magoria let out a hum of discontent and buried their nose deeper into their book.

“Heehee. I suppose that means I’m not welcome to tell you I’ve gotten groceries for us?” The Glaceon, Haven, made extra sure to close the door behind her with her wispy tail, barring any light to enter in. “And here I thought you loved Hopo Berries.”

Ever so slightly, the fusion’s ears raised. The flickering, almost wagging movement of their flame told the Glaceon everything she needed to know. “Works every time. You’ve been holed up in your room all day, wouldn’t it do you some good to come out and get some fresh air?”

“No,” Magoria mumbled, paws shuffling against the desk. “I gotta… Continue.”

Haven let out a sigh of defeat as her expression dropped to an irked one. Looks like she’ll have to use other measures. A bright indigo glow illuminated her features as Magoria was raised from their book, as they squeaked and squabbled helplessly in the air.

“H-Heeey…!! Put me down..!” The Litwick-Zorua whined, but Haven persisted, carrying the fusion right out the door and into the main hall. “I’m serious, I swear I’m onto somethin’..!” “That ‘something’ can come later. I’m not letting you starve yourself for your own research.” Haven gave a stern scowl to the still-hovering Magoria, who let out a meek whine but shut their yap. “Come on, now.”

Magoria finally gave in, being set down at the table on a soft cushion. As their eye gazed around, they took note of the bags of food and other assorted goodies, of which only half were sorted. Their nose twitched as they took in a big sniff, fittingly followed by a churning of their stomach. There were Hopo Berries, right…?

Haven smirked as her indigo aura flickered and flowed, sorting out the goods in a continuous stream into their proper cabinets. “They’re in the bag to your right, Mago. Don’t eat them all in one sitting.”

Right on cue, Magoria had stuffed their face right into the mentioned bag, pulling out one of the prized berries by the stem. They dug into the berries with a content expression as Haven continued sorting, until a pile of berry scraps had been left where the bag once was. The fusion let out a content puff as they rested their heavy head on the table. The Hopo Berries helped their nerves like nothing else could…

Haven smiled warmly--although the amount of scraps clued her in to how particularly stressed—and hungry—Magoria truly was. When all of the bags were put away, She pulled up her own cushion and sat alongside the Litwick-Zorua, resting her tail upon Magoria’s back. For a moment, she let her mind drift off to an earlier encounter she’d gotten into while carrying her groceries home. A strange—what she could only assume was an—Eevee had, somehow, connected to her telepathically, and spewed something about strengthening bonds of others. What can you expect from otherworldly visitors, after all? She had decided to fancy this idea of “love” with the Pokemon around her, but an idea had already brewed in her head. Magoria had always reminded her of a certain pokemon, of which she could say she was also on good terms with. What better way to strengthen bonds by connecting two book nerds together? “Say, I was going to head over to the library and give my hello’s to Choleric,” Her gaze shifted towards Magoria’s, who returned the gaze with a curious eye. “Would you care to join me? Perhaps finally drop off some of those overdue books you’ve been stashing in your room.”

“Choleric?” Magoria’s eye widened ever-so-slightly with interest. The Litwick-Zorua couldn’t say it properly, but they admired Choleric deeply. For being a less emotional Pokemon like them, they treasured how reliable he could be when it came to any topic at hand, or helping locate any book Magoria couldn’t find. Had it not been for their own crippling muteness, perhaps they’d be more inclined to share their appreciation for the Sylveon. “..Mm. Maybe.”

It already seemed like Haven was one step ahead, as she chuckled and removed her tail from Magoria’s back, standing at her paws with her soft smirk still present on her face. “Go get those books, and I’ll meet you at the front.” With a sudden burst of vigor, Magoria had finally done as they were told, quickly galloping off back to their room--and coming out with a moderately sized stack of books only minutes later, faintly illuminated with a violet aura. Their expression was the usual dull-eyed stare, but their flames wagged back and forth rhythmically with each step, contributing to the faint notes of anticipation Magoria felt.

Books in tow, the two set out towards the library.

...

As the familiar scent of dusty books hit Magoria’s nose, they felt right at home. It was relatively empty, most Pokemon out and about at this hour with only a few here and there, keeping to themselves. The two made their way to the front desk, where Choleric had been working away at his own set of paperwork. A brief glance upwards caused Haven and Choleric to lock eyes. The Ghastly Glaceon gave a dip of her head as she trotted forwards, Magoria meekly following suit with the books they’ve carried now taking a toll on their relatively weak levitation, nearly dragging on the floor. Haven picks up the slack and gives Magoria a much needed break as she sets the columns of books onto Choleric’s desk. “Evening, Choleric! I hope the day’s treating you well. Magoria and I came to return some books.”

“I’ve, um… Been fine.” Choleric seemed rather indifferent to the stack of books, letting out a quiet sigh as he nodded, his ribbons got to work with putting the books away. “...”

“...So, uh… How are you both…?” Choleric nonchalantly asked, putting one paw atop another. “...I, um… Haven’t seen either of you in a bit.”

Haven looked to Magoria for an answer, to which the Litwick-Zorua gave none but a slight murmur, pawing the ground in a passive manner with their gaze averted. She let out a quiet sigh as she instead took the helm in the conversation once more. “To tell you the truth, both of us have been swamped in research—more Mago over here than me. You’ve been working day and night towards a more convenient cure for the Insanity, haven’t you? It’s certainly more exhausting on you than anything.”

“...Mm… Y-Yeah.” Magoria felt like they’d been only making the situation more uncomfortable with their less-than-vocal voice, flames beginning to whittle down in regret as they avoided the gaze of Choleric boring down into them. Their ears perked, though, when they heard Choleric rummaging around his desk drawers, attempting to locate something.

“Here,” A paw held out something to Magoria. “...I, uh, hope you feel better.”

Magoria sheepishly turned their gaze upwards, staring at the item in Choleric’s paw. It was a Rage Candybar. Their flames flickered in surprise as they seemed to loosen up slightly. “...Thank you,” Magoria murmured with their face buried in their waxy fluff.

Haven smiles softly. “Thank you Choleric, that’s very kind of you.” She places her paws on the desk. “Matter of a fact, I’ve got something to ask you.”

Choleric’s gaze followed the Glaceon, and she continued. “I’d like to go on a date with you!”

…Huh? Choleric’s expression changed to one of pure surprise, sweat-dropping at the mere fact he couldn’t comprehend the situation. Haven could almost see the dust of pink on the Sylveon’s cheeks. Even Magoria looked surprised, seeing how they looked at Haven like she’d just revealed herself as a part of Team Ferine. “I… I Beg your pardon?” Choleric choked out in a flabbergasted manner.

Haven laughed quietly, her body flickering with a light indigo. “Oh, please don’t mind me! Heehee… To tell you the truth, I was sent here on account of an ‘angel of love.’” She waved a paw in a jazz-hands fashion. “As unreasonable as that sounds.”

“I… Can’t say I don’t believe you. That seems to add up.” Choleric blinked, a noticeable flattening of his fur that’d previously spiked up in surprise. To his words, Haven perked her ears in a rather confused, but delighted manner. Choleric continued on, a light smile to his face. “To tell you both the truth, I’m not native to this world… A world full of Eeveelutions—you would’ve met some of them by now, I presume. It’s not outlandish to believe something like an ‘angel of love’' is here in Coldour, given our current… Situation.”

Magoria fidgeted, unsure what to make of the situation. What could they say? They certainly didn’t have anything to contribute to the current situation, as much as they wanted to…

“And I believe Magoria wanted to get to know their favorite Pokemon better while we’re at it, hmm?” Haven cheekily elbowed Magoria, causing the Litwick-Zorua to let out a tiny yelp in surprise as they dug their muzzle back into their fluff.

Choleric seemed amused by this, deciding to play into the two’s plans. “Alright then. I think I’ll make the choice easy for you both then. We could stay inside, or head out somewhere—I don’t think the Library would combust into flames if I stepped out for a few seconds.”

Magoria once more looked up in surprise, their flames wagging. “..Um… W-We could, um… Go out somewhere, if you’re okay with it… But I wouldn’t mind helping you here, either…”

Haven smiled, glad to see Magoria in such elusive excitement. “I believe there’s a café we could hit up not too far from here.” She suggested with a purr, head nodding towards the Library’s entrance. “How about we go there and then head back? I’m sure we’ll have time to do both before it gets too late.”

“Fine by me, I don’t think I can stay out too long, though. All the work’ll still be here when I’m back.” Choleric rose to his hind paws with a sigh, making his way across to the other side of the desk where the other two awaited him, now fitted with a chill smile. “Shall we?”

Magoria nodded, whilst Haven lead the way with a bright smile, signaling with her tail for Choleric to walk alongside them.

The summer air was surprisingly cool, though she expected nothing less from the towering buildings that shaded the area around them with only a few lines of light here and there to illuminate the scenery. Although, it was a little humid… Nevertheless, Haven took a deep breath in and breathed a sigh, trotting forwards with her two companions in tow, Magoria keeping an eye on their surroundings while Choleric kept to himself. To strike up a conversation, she looked Choleric up and down and made a light chuckle. “You know, Choleric, I never thought I’d see an Eeveelution walking on two paws. It’s quite the unique trait you’ve picked up!”

Choleric gave an awkward look to Haven, feeling the simultaneous gaze of other passerbys boring into him. Haven put her tail to the Sylveon’s, smiling softly as she trotted along. “Maybe you ought to teach me how to walk like that. It seems like fun to take a new perspective on things!”

…A slight smile rose on Choleric’s face. They continued in a comfortable silence for a while until they came to the front of the cafe. Haven stepped aside to allow her two companions to enter. As the door was opened, the fresh smell of coffee and pastries hit their nose, followed by the warm lighting seeping out from the inside out onto the dusk-ridden shadows of the Capitol.

“Hey, welcome in!” An Ursaring in employee uniform called from behind the counter, waving a paw with a pleasant expression. “I can take all three of you up here.”

Haven whisked the two up to the counter alongside her, giving a friendly wave of her paw to the Ursaring. “Hi there! I’ll just take a cup of Cheri Tea. You two want anything?”

…Magoria was already spaced out, whilst Choleric seemed to stiffen up into a cold sweat, paws shuffling over one another nervously as he murmured something just a little over a whisper. Haven signed and shook her head, yet couldn't hide her soft giggles. “Boy, you two really are alike… Heehee… What am I gonna do with you both?... Erm, make it three cups, then! And how about a few donuts too, while we’re at it?”

The Ursaring nodded, ringing up the total order. As Haven slid over the correct amount of PC, she was nudged by a paw to her right. Magoria was on her left and was currently staring off towards the lines of delicious-looking pastries, so it must’ve been…

Choleric had passed her the sum of PC needed for his part of the order. “...Thank you,” The Sylveon mumbled with a genuine smile, face dusted with red. “I don’t do well under pressure all too often—I’m working on it, of course, but…”

Haven smiled softly, lightly putting her head to Choleric’s side as she mumbled back in an understanding tone. She could feel Choleric’s temperature rise, ever so slightly. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing I’ve not seen before from Mago. Speaking of which…”

She tapped the Litwick-Zorua with his tail. “Let’s go find a place to sit while we wait, yeah? You can pick the spot.”

Magoria nodded, eyes scanning the area for a good spot to nestle down at—a particularly dim corner caught their eye instantly. “...This way,” Magoria mumbled and pointed a paw at the chosen location, before heading over for themselves.

“They really do look up to you quite a lot,” Haven commented. “You inspire their research towards the cure for Coldour’s Insanity quite a lot—but I can never get them to open up outside their room if it’s not related to progress towards their goal.”

Choleric grew slightly uncomfortable, turning his gaze away. his body temperature once again dropped, and she could sense the Sylveon’s heart rate rise. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? When he started to fidget, Haven pulled her head away and nodded her head towards the table. “...We best sit and wait for our order, hmm?”

“...Right,” Choleric stiffly mumbled.

Soon enough, their order came. As the evening grew darker, small conversations were shared between the three, about friends and odd encounters, about what berry flavors they enjoyed the most, it seemed the three of them had become pretty relaxed around each other. As they finished their snacks and tea, the night sky awaited them with the three of them heading out back towards the library, once again in comfortable silence… Up until Haven attempted something, grabbing the attention of the other two Pokemon.

“It… Goes like this, right?” Haven wobbled on two hind legs, one paw holding onto a lamppost for support as she attempted to maintain her balance. “I certainly feel taller.”

Magoria let out a muffled snicker, their flames bouncing with every attempt at taking a step. Choleric, meanwhile, was less than helpful with his tips.

“Ah, um… You just have to… Keep trying?” Unable to come up with the proper words, Choleric let out a rare laugh. His paw and ribbons attempted to guide Haven along, but she fell back onto four legs not long after.

“Whew, maybe that’s enough ‘practice’ for me tonight… Heehee…” She let out a breathy laugh. Giggling amongst each other, they continued on their way.

As the three returned to the familiar comfort of the Library, a Bisharp in a large, luxurious cloak was seen wandering the library grounds. Seeing as the Bisharp had a rather shorter stature than normal, and the gold of their plating was a signature red-and-gold… Oh no. Haven’s expression fell to one of shock.

It seemed Choleric and had caught on, with Magoria equally becoming petrified from behind Haven’s back, eye narrowed and flames whittling down by the minute.

A fiery argument erupted from the two in a fit of confusion, anger and disappointment. In the heat of the moment, though, something caught Haven and Magoria’s ears.

“Don’t act like you weren’t complicit, Choleric, like you weren’t there when this all started.” Stan’s scowl spoke numbers as Choleric was taken aback, shortly before slinging a remark and ordering Stan to leave the premises… To which, surprisingly, Stan complied without any further words.

Haven’s jaw parted in shock. That’s what that reaction in the café was all about? She swept her tail over Magoria’s back, a new hint of uncertainty in her gaze. Choleric now faced the two, but his gaze couldn’t center on the two. Once again, it was Haven’s turn to take the stage. “Choleric,” She began in an indiscernable tone. “What… What happened? Are you ok? Was there really something between you and… Him?”

Choleric let out a sigh, brows furrowed in a fit of frustration. “I was, yes. That much is true. I was there when he started hurting pokemon, and—when he was just… Not insane…”

A paw brushed his bangs as he attempted to regain himself, breathing in a deep inhale before exhaling with a muted expression once more donning his face. “It’s why I spend every waking moment putting my efforts into stopping Team Ferine—researching all I can about them, bringing this community together to help those in need… The request board for the guild helps me towards that goal, even if the progress is less than optimal.”

Magoria’s ears perked. They slowly trotted out from behind Haven, looking up to him with their soft, flame-like eye. “...I wanna help,” They mumbled meekly, turning his gaze away to paw at the ground. “..lM’scared of him takin’ my friends… Or Haven, or…” They breath out a sigh. “...But I wanna contribute t’make sure that doesn’t happen any more…”

Choleric’s gaze softens as they finally meet eyes with the Litwick-Zorua. Magoria continues. “I’ve been spendin’ a lotta time… Lookin’ for books for stuff like this… Maybe even… Reverse the process? I’unno… But I wanna help. A-any way I can.”

Haven stared at Magoria. That was the most they’ve consecutively spoken in quite a bit—they must’ve really been touched by Choleric’s words. She walked up, standing aside Magoria with a determined nod. “Your words are just and true, I don’t believe I’ve got any reason to doubt your intention, Choleric. All Hallows’ Crew may not be the best for being on the frontlines… But we all want the same thing as everybody else. A way out of this chaos—this insanity.”

She stepped closer to Choleric, wobbling up onto two paws with the best of her ability—her body was certainly not made for this… Choleric sweat-dropped and held out his paws to keep Haven steady, only for him to receive a peck on the cheek from the spectral Glaceon. “We’re here for you every step of the way, Choleric.”

Choleric froze up, his face blooming into shades of red as he brought a paw over his face. A mixed expression after everything that had happened, but it seems he didn’t quite reject it. “Ah—uhm, I…”

Haven chuckled, getting back onto four paws as she took a step back, looking towards Magoria and Choleric. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Haven had an idea—a dangerous one, at that—brewing in her head. “Now, I’ve got a proposition for the two of you. I’ve got something to deal with, so I’ll have to head off in a little while.”

“So, I would like you two to work together to piece your current theories together on how to go about this issue—ah, and do some library work together, while you’re at it. I wouldn’t want poor Choco over here to be too swamped with work now, do we?”

…Magoria’s body shook a little in the tiniest of muffled giggles, before they straightened themself out. “I mean… I don’t sleep for a while, anyways…”

“Choleric couldn’t help but smile slightly at the nickname, putting his paws together with a calm nod. “I don’t see why a helping hand would be so bad—if they’re okay at overcoming mountains of paperwork, that is.”

…Magoria froze up slightly.

Haven giggled, a gleeful expression on her face. “Then I will leave you two to it! I shouldn’t be too long… But if I ain’t back by sunrise, call the police!”

Magoria blanked. “huh”

“Byee~!” With that, Haven slipped out into a looming Phantom Force beneath her feet, disappearing from view and leaving the two in the dimly-lit silence of the Library. Choleric and Magoria stared at where Haven once was with confusion to their faces… What exactly was Haven doing…?

…Choleric sighed, his paw still brought to his cheek, returning to his monotone expression… Yet if Magoria stared hard enough, they could see the tiniest of smiles angled at the young Pokemon. “It’s best if we get our mind off of this ugly situation and get to work, I don’t want to think on it any longer.”

“Mm, right…” Magoria nodded with a slow blink, looking upwards towards Choleric as he lead them on towards his desk. A stool was slid over for Magoria to sit upon alongside a… surmountable pile of papers and requests. “Let’s get to work then. Whilst you start on the papers… How about explaining to me what theories you’re coming up with at the moment?”

Magoria nodded, their violet flames gingerly pulling a paper off from the top of the pile. “Well, my current theory is that…”

…

…Somewhere else, a Glaceon was preparing to steel herself to the worst experience in her life.