A Collection of Pokecharms

(Hey everyone! So lovely to see you all! I'm still working on the Final Fantasy Fic, but in the meantime, I came across this thought in chat today. I think I'll write some simple stories on the people of pokecharms, with everyday situations and problems. Maybe it'll be fun! This first one hits close to home on my end, but I mean no ill will to anybody!(P.S. ilu Dway but I felt I like I had to post this as the opening story.))

Rejected

“Hm. How…well, I figured it might happen.”

“I really am sorry!”

“No, no, it’s quite alright. Thank you for your time!” Ethan briskly turned on the spot and walked away with as much dignity as he could muster. In his mind he already knew the answer, but it hit him hard. Something about being denied always made him take it personally. He knew it wasn’t, there was just no room! But all the same, it hurt a lot.

“I…yeah, what was I even thinking? How depressing.” He said to himself, passing by and pushing through the crowded streets of Pokecharms. He could have sworn he heard someone calling his name, too. Was it Shiny? It might have been, but Ethan didn’t feel well enough to hold a conversation.

“How embarrassing. I’m so embarrassing.” He said twice, holding his arms with his hands. It was a simple, old, ratty jacket, but it kept him warm and he liked it. He neared the gates of the grand city, and without hesitation, strolled on through, stopping only long enough to be verified by security. The path spread out in many directions from there – the land of Pokecharms itself was vast and varied. Ethan had made a small part of it his own, and was heading that way to cool down. Denial weighed so heavily on him, and he couldn’t help but feel silly about all of it.

It didn’t take long to reach the Garden. It never seemed to when Ethan needed to get there the most. It was quaint, yet beautiful, and served as a crossroads to various locales. Most of the time, however, it was empty, save for two other residents.

“Ethan! You’re home!”

“Welcome back, Ethan!”

The two tentacle monsters gave a rousing shout of glee, but Ethan simply brushed past Tangrow and Tangrelle, having no time for their silly games today. The pair frowned, realizing it was one of those days, and retreated further into the gardens. Ethan’s house was located nearby the Garden Plaza, although it was rather small. It contained a bed, a small table for two, some flowers, and a couple books. The reading material was dusty as he picked it up, and Ethan found he couldn’t focus long enough, and so let the book fall from his fingers. It made a resounding thud on the floor, and Ethan smiled before falling back on the bed.

“Why do I always feel like this, anyway? Nobody else ever does, and I figure normally get over it, but…” He paused, brows furrowing. “Why do I still feel this way?” Silence replied as his answer. “…Yeah, I thought so.” He closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to overcome him, but was immediately jolted awake by a heavy knock on the door.

“I’m coming in.” A gruff voice resounded from the other side before roughly opening the door. Ethan’s eyes widened, and immediately flipped up off the bed so as to look more presentable. He was in no state for visitors, especially not this one. Ethan could have sworn he locked the door, as well, and in that case, and then there could only be one person. The man came in, looking straight at him. “Hey.” Zacky said.

“O-Oh! Hey Zacky! Uhh, take a seat! What did you come here for?” Ethan stammered through quickly. He motioned to the small table, but Zacky didn’t move.

“Y’know,” He began. “Those tentacle monsters of yours can really talk a guy’s ear off.”

“Oh.” Ethan seemed to droop visibly as he looked away. He tried to say something, but his voice seemed to falter every time he began. The boy ended with staring at the floor. Zacky sighed and walked over, leading Ethan to sit at the table the boy had invited Zacky to sit at. Once Ethan was seated, Zacky took the other chair, setting his sword against the wall of the small house.

“What happened?”

“Ah, it’s,” Ethan looked away. “No, it’s not really anything important. Just stupid, is all.”

“Hey. No, hey. Over here.” Ethan snapped to attention. “Tell me what happened.” Zacky said, more firmly this time.

“I just…I wanted to join an RP, is all.” Zacky looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. Silence ensued, but Ethan found the voice to speak again. “And there was no room for me.”

Zacky blinked once, taking in the information. Then he laughed, a short, sharp, series of barks. Ethan sighed in frustration, turning to get up, but Zacky prevented him, grabbing him by the arm. It was a small table, and he could easily reach past it. “Hey, no, I didn’t mean to laugh.” He sighed. “You know if you want to RP, you can always ask me, right?”

Ethan paused, and Zacky’s grip slackened. He tenderly reached over and removed the older man’s hand from its grasp, before returning to sit. “Yeah, I know. I just…I don’t know. I just thought I could do it. It was sort of…already full up with members, but-“

“Then why did you do it?”

“Well, I…I don’t know.” Ethan faltered, his hands falling into his lap. “I just…everything’s too hard lately. Too many things are happening, and I just,” He got up and walked over to the bed, taking a moment to control himself. “It’s too h-hard.”

“Hey,” Zacky replied. “If you don’t wanna tell me about it, then-“

“No, no,” Ethan cut him off this time, hearing his voice tremble dangerously. “Ever since Dad had his heart attack, and there’s just college and my brother and my other brother and I can’t catch up on my grades and,” The boy sat on the bed, feeling tears spring to his eyes. “I, I’m-” He broke into a sob, feeling the first tears spring to his eyes. Zacky was there in an instant, sitting by his side, one arm around him. “I-I’m-” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, and he finally burst into tears, sobs, whimpers and cries, targeting Zacky’s shoulder with his woe as his hands desperately clutched the man’s clothing.

They continued as such for some time, until Ethan found he had nothing left. He tried to keep crying, but the tears had dried up, and sobs became hiccups before the pair turned completely still. Outside, the daylight shone brightly, but all Ethan could see was the horrible future.

“I’m scared.”

The words came barely a whisper, and Zacky started at the noise. His arm came around Ethan to reassure him, but Zacky was sure it was in vain. “Come on. I know you can do it. You’re a tough kid.” He paused. He wanted to help, but the words were simply…not there. So he tried a different approach. “Y’want me to go beat up the fucker who did this?” Ethan looked up at him, eyes wide.

“No! N-no! I don’t want that! Tailon’s a good person, he just didn’t have room!”

“Maybe I’ll just kick the crap outta him instead?”

”Hey! He didn’t do it to be mean! He had said he already declared there weren’t-“ Ethan paused, realizing his words. “Any. Spots. Open.” The boy’s palm met his face and Zacky grinned, his point made. “Oh.”

“And that’s all there is to it.”

“Hah, yeah, wow. I guess I really was being, uh, stupid there.” Ethan said, cautiously making a laugh.

“Well then, if that’s all it was, then what do you say you and I pay a visit to Toru today?”

“Again?”

“Well, if you don’t want to come…” Zacky said, getting up and making to leave, but a small force stopped him, and he found Ethan tugging on his arm, smiling.

“I’d love to.” The both of them got up and headed out the door, before taking one of the many paths out of the Plaza. The sun shone up above them, as if nothing of importance had passed.

“Hey, Zacky?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

ilu2 Tan. Totally acceptable. <3
Anyways, I love this story. It portrays a lovely friendship between Zacky and you, I love the way he consoles you. I also love that you grab onto him at the end there to stop him... oh gods, my fangirl senses are going off. XD I just... love this fluff. It is cuddly and cute, and that's all there is to it.

You're really pumping them out lately, aren't you? xD

As much as I love your 'Charms FF series, I think I might come to love this particular fic even better over time. There's nothing I love more then seeing the world and people I know from a different perspective, and this is all that and more, mixed in with a lot of creativity!

Keep it up Tan! <3

I had this warm fuzzy feeling when I read this. <3333333
Zacky x Tan OTP- *shot*

Really though, this is so cute. :') The imagery was nice, and it's kind of a nice parallel between you and Tangrow/Tangrelle getting kinda rejected from playing with you. Just... imo, if that made any sense?

And I'm srsly looking forward to more of these 'Charms writings~

... like Red x Dway.

I MEAN UM

Keep it uppppp~

This is going to be the source of an endless number of Charms-related shippings...

I like the relationship you portrayed between yourself and Zacky. He's such an older brother for you Ethan. If you do have other ideas for such short stories in mind, I'll definitely be eager to read them. This particular piece has just brightened up my day.

(Here we go! I like this one, and I hope I did its characters justice.)

Accomplishment

The Grand Library was seated cozily smack dab in the middle of Pokecharms City. It shared its space as the neighbor to the Administrative Office and Doctor’s Clinic, and if it could speak it would say it was the most grandiose building of all. It would also add that it is the most knowledgeable of any building in the City, or even the world. For within its walls lies the largest collection of books known to mankind, all condensed in one single building.

The Grand Library was also incredibly proud of its modern, yet pleasant atmosphere. If one were to enter the library, they would be incredibly surprised to see its vast hall full of life, save for a simple path straight down to the empty receptionist's desk. From there, the receptionist would discern what sort of book the inquirer was looking for, and they would shortly be moved into that floor, as if through magic. The library was separated into a many different floors for any and every subject, all somehow existing in one place, but not at the same time. It was a curious subject to dwell on, yet only the curator knew how it truly functioned.

But yet, the most curious subjects of the library were its workers. Created by the Curator himself, they were a motley collection of short little robots of all shape and size. They would often be seen running around the library, carrying books or messages as best as they can to keep the library up to date. Although they occasionally caused quite a lot of mess, it would be hard to imagine the Library without them.

After the Library was constructed, it was easily proven that the Fanfiction Section was clearly the most popular of them all, due to its ability to have simply anyone add to its incredibly grand collection. So, after a vote between the Curator and Librarian, it was decided it would be relocated to the Entrance Hall, so it would be accessible to all. As such, when one entered the library, they would find it alive with many people reading and commenting, and even writing different fictions.

However, as for the incredibly poor pieces of writing...

...That is for another time.

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“There!” A woman exclaimed faithfully, seated at a table on the ground floor of the Library. Surrounding her were many, many papers with scribbles and neat handwriting in, out and around the margins. She ran a hand through her black hair, a smile playing on her lips. “Finally, the next piece on Diaries...” She then allowed her head to lay upon the table and rested it there. “...I’m really tired.”

“Not too tired, I hope.”

“Oh!” Carmen brought herself back up to find an older man facing her, a smile tugging at her lips. “Pheo, I didn’t see you coming!”

“I hardly believe you would, headdesked and all that,” Pheonix replied, taking a seat opposite her. “I see you’ve finished! Good for you!”

“Yeah,” Carmen replied, grinning. “It just feels really good to get it off my shoulders.”

“I hope so,” The man paused, then snapped his fingers. Almost instantaneously, one of the small robots he commanded climbed upon the table and began sorting through the mess of papers. “Well, would you like me to file this away immediately, or...?”

“Ah, well, if you could maybe, er,” Carmen blushed, looking away. “Look it over and edit it for me, It’d be awesome...”

Pheo blinked. “Of course I will Carmi. You don’t mind if it takes some time, do you?” Being the Librarian, Curator, and essentially every other position of power in the Library had its merits, but it put a very large workload on Pheonix’s shoulders.

“No, of course not!” She replied eagerly. “Thanks Pheo, you’re awesome.” By now, the robot had finished sorting the papers between draft and final copy. It hoisted the papers above its head, part of the material covering its eye.

“No problem, no problem. I’ll see you later, all right? I have to sort through the latest publications.” Pheonix got up and turned around, and the robot followed, jumping off the table and running ahead.

“Alright, I'll see you later.” She said, giving a short wave. The Librarian turned around and walked over to the front desk before disappearing in a short flash of light.

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“Amazing...she’s always so amazing.” Pheonix smiled as he put the paper down and looked up to the ceiling of his office. Like most of the library, Pheonix’s Office existed on a separate plane. It was a cluttered, yet quaint area. Papers, files, and folders were scattered about, and it was the one place he would not allow his creations to go.

Pheonix truly had a lot of work to do. Cataloguing, sorting returned and borrowed books, and keeping his employees-if they could be called that-up and running. But whenever Carmen or another one of his good friends turned in a piece, he always made time to look it over. Such is one of the many jobs of the Editor. It was a guilty pleasure of sorts, but he loved reading their writings, and always kept a copy hidden away in the office. Pheonix remained in his current position for a while, seated in front of his desk, when a quick noise startled him out of his recollections.

“Um, h-hello? I-I think I need some help. I-It’s my first time, you see...” The message played out all around from the walls, and Pheo could see in his mind’s eye, the young new member standing nervously in front of the empty front desk. All that lay on the desk was a simple note that stated ‘Just ask.’ And he would hate to keep them waiting.

“Work to do, work to do. I better get to it, then.” He said to himself, before standing up and opening the one door leading out of the Office. All that lay behind it was emptiness, but Pheonix always knew where he was going.

For although Pheonix was a busy, busy man, he loved his job above all else.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Pheonix had disappeared from sight, Carmen got up from the table. She turned around and walked not towards the exit, but down the endless shelves of books. The library was quiet today, for it was rather early in the morning. It was when she preferred to work, when the Library was at its quietest. Normally it was quite noisy by the standards of such an establishment, so Carmen often worked at home. At this point, however, Carmen certainly knew her way around the library, and navigated the sorting system of fanfictions easily.

The bookshelves held a veritable collection, and with a keen eye, Carmen skimmed through its shelves as she walked, spying titles from RX, Kalseng, Chadwyck…and Carmen. At the name, she stopped immediately, and stared at the books for a long time.

Viewing the small collection of books nestled nicely together with each other; she could not help but feel accomplished. Moving On, Giselle Valentine, even Diaries. Although she would be the first admit to herself that most of them were far from finished, she allowed her hand to brush through her collection, stopping at the last. She smiled, and made to head to the Entrance of the Library.

Although they were far from finished, they were hers. And that is what she loved most about writing.

I like the relationship you portrayed between yourself and Zacky. He's such an older brother for you Ethan.

Pretty much how it is in general, I look out for him as I mentor him how to be a MAN (joking aside)

From a different point of view, I was surprised that you chose me to write the opening piece, considering, y'know, I'm not the most equipped for the job, but you did portray me exactly as what I would do in a situation. The tone was set pretty good, with the mood complimenting it. And you did a wonderful job capturing my personality.

The second part, I still liked even though the first part is my favorite part.

Keep them coming and I want to see a ShinyxSem or a RXxRX soon.

Keep them coming and I want to see a ShinyxSem or a RXxRX soon.

That like... isn't going to happen. Especially not the former.

Unless that's already a set pairing oh gosh D:

Also, this is a very nice second piece. It's very sweet and lovely, and I feel like both of the characters were written very well (of course, I'm not them so I can't speak for them, but y'know...)

oh gosh why is everyone better at writing than me ;_;

Tan, I've gotta say that I'm really enjoying these. I think what I like about them is their simplicity (not in the writing though! In the setting!) it's nice to read something that involves ordinary situations and ordinary people who we've all come to know and love. I mean, I'm not one to talk, since all my fics are action explosions boom! and stuff, but I like where these are going.

I'm looking forward to reading more, since they are wonderfully written and charming. Keep up the good work, and know that I'll be following these closely. (Also, more of your FF fic would be nice too ;D)

Phermen shipping? I like it. xD

This is getting more and more promising, and I for one can't wait to see continuation of your multi-spectral view on the world of PokeCharms ^^

Needs more Darkova though... ;D

Everyone pretty much said what I was going to so I'll keep this short and sweet: These are so well done and awesome Tan! I look forward to reading more of these as they come out.

My only question is who/what will I end up getting shipped with? :x

My only question is who/what will I end up getting shipped with? :x

Likely me, considering how it comes up often in chat. =P

Anyways, lovely story, Tan. I think you portrayed Pheonix and Carmen very well here, but of course you took your own artistic license. I'm definitely looking forward to more stories, keep it up. :3

I haven't read these, and I don't plan to. I don't feel I know this community well enough to go reading through your interpretations of each other... But I do have a request. A challenge, even, or a dare.

Try writing about me.

(and PM me if you ever do it - you aren't obliged - because I'll forget D=)

(Here we go! I love this one. A lot. No matter how out of character it may be! As for you, Cycloneblaze, your post was extremely off-putting! I'll see what I can do, even if it'll be a raunchy love story between you and a brick wall or something!)

Another Day at the Office

“New report in, Dem!”

“Ahh, ah, leave it on the counter!” A voice called out from the back room.

“Alright, sure! See you in chat later!”

“Yeah, yeah!” The sound of a door opening and closing could be heard as Database exited the building.

Demelza quickly brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and immediately got back to work. Inside the city of Pokecharms lay a simple newspaper office. In truth, it was uncharacteristically small to be in a city the size of Pokecharms, but truly, it only needed one or two person to maintain it. Demelza hurried over to the front desk of the building, snatched the papers up before running back into the back end of the room.

Demelza’s News Studio had papers all over – while the front area where visitors came in was relatively neat, everything behind it was piled with stacks and stacks of paper. The woman behind the whole operation looked quite harried as she seemingly sprinted around the area – from the computer she operated on to the many piles of paper stacked as high as possible, and sometimes to the small shredder she kept in case of flop articles.

“Hm…” She muttered, mostly to herself as she viewed the most recent article dropped on her desk. She plucked a pen from its resting point atop her ear and used it to keep track of her quick skim through the paper. “Pokemon Smash…Black and White…Fifteenth. Hm! Interesting!” She hopped over a knocked over trash bin and took her seat at the computer, then dropped the paper into an odd sort of machine connected to the main device. Shortly after doing so, the paper appeared on the monitor. Demelza smiled, then began scrolling through the article for edits and necessary changes.

Most everyone interested in keeping up with news in and outside carried a Pokegram on their person or at their house. It was a small datapad, a tablet of sorts, that received the latest news and announcements. All of these news articles can be traced back to one source, and that would be the Studio. People from all over brought in interesting information, and Demelza helped decide what came through or not. Usually, she had a couple of helpers, like Rex, but he had taken the day off to work on other things. So today, she only had one person on hand. Conveniently enough, they were swamped with news today.

“Alright, just got to send this up, and…”

“Hey Dem!” Demelza immediately yelped in surprise at the voice that originated from right next to her.

“C-Cody! …You scared me!”

“Ha ha, yeah. I got some important stuff from around, and some pictures if you needed any.” Cody grinned, thoroughly pleased at surprising Demelza. He had his hands on his hips, one resting on the golden axe he kept on a belt loop. His other carried a couple of papers and images. “Whatcha up to?”

“Ah, nothing important.” Demelza said, hitting the large and incredibly blatant green button on the middle of the keyboard. Her own Pokegram, which she kept on a nearby table, lit up and beeped momentarily, signaling the news had been sent. “I just finished.”

“Great! That’s great!” He exclaimed, turning Demelza on her seat to make her face him. She smiled. “Say…” He said, pausing to think about his next course of action. “You wanna go down to Tun’s to grab a bit to eat? I hear they have a special on those bread moon things today.” Demelza paused, taking time to think about it.

“Well…” She bit her lip, turning to view the large pile of papers. “I…” She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Dem,” Cody smiled, and Dem felt her cheeks heat up. “All you do is stay cooped up in this tiny place all day! It can’t be good for you, so,” Demelza found herself looking at the floor. “Just this once. Would you please come with me?”

“Well…Alright.” She conceded, trying to hide the smile playing on her lips. “But only for a little while, okay?”

“Great! That’s great!” Cody’s smile widened.

“Just let me get my things…”

“Nope! We’re leaving now!”

“Woah!”

As Cody literally grabbed Demelza by the arm and ran out the door with her in tow, she couldn’t help but think about how much she loved her employees.

Last edited by Tangrow on Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

fffffff
this is
I love these
I want more
and more of them
oh gosh I can't get enough of them
this can't be healthy for me
but I love these
<3333333333333333333333

(As for you, Cycloneblaze, your post was extremely off-putting! I'll see what I can do, even if it'll be a raunchy love story between you and a brick wall or something!)

Haha! I'd just like to see how I'm interpreted. It's a bit of fun. But you might read some of my posts around the place to get a feel for my personality, no? And I summarised myself on my dA, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

[Demelza]

I love I have my own "messy" office (Trust me, that is just how I'd have it), just for news where people can come and go. I also love that I have an awesome team. <3

And this, she couldn’t help but think about how much she loved her employees. is very very true.

Keep up the good work Tan!

I'm loving these stories so much Tan. I thought this one was really cute, how Cody basically stole Dem away from her work. XD

I'm looking forward to seeing more from you. Especially ones that might involve me. ^^

I'mma be different and not fawn over this for the fact you're putting us Charmsians in it - but mostly for the setting and how its written. They're so cute and I love this kind of writing. Its about daily lifestyles, it reminds me of a bunch of Fanfics I used to read

Your skill is easily apparent, and its one of the many reasons why its such a pleasure having you here

Hello everyone! Miss me? <3 I've been busy busy busy with personal sorts, but this fic is longer than my others and I hope you like it <3 Formatting may be messy, phoneposting and all. (Also if anyone has a better name for Taolang tell me because I sort of pulled that out of my oriental hooha hat)

...This one goes out to our three favorite azns.

Miss You

Far, far, to the north of Pokecharms City, nestled into the side of Foresharn Mountain, lay a homey village named Taolang. It was a calm place, attuned with nature, and compared to the modern, hustling and bustling City, it kept a more eastern feel. Trees that turn to a vibrant cherry color in spring, the simple breeze, and the modest homes of the town made it an attractive place to live, if one was looking for the quiet. Its main attraction, however, lay in the yearly springtime festival, founded many years ago by Kalseng, one of the first residents of the town. The original event was somewhat haphazard, but with the help of the residents of Taolang, The Festival of Stars had blossomed into a major melting pot for Charmsians from all ends of the country.
 
Today was the day before the festival itself, and one could see Charmsians everywhere they look frantically preparing. Many booths were being set up with the help of those such as Brian and Zacky, both of whom being unwittingly conned into the job by Sem, who took over the affairs after Kalseng had disappeared a few years ago. Many questioned as to why Sem would wish to run such a joyous event, but only the aquamor himself would know the answer to that.
 
The man in question was currently overlooking the affairs from the main stage, holding a fan in front of his mouth so as to conceal his visage, and possibly appear more dramatic. The stage itself was only half done, most props not even put up yet, but upon it was the main events. Charmsians exhibited their talents, not as a competition, but for the spirit of the festival, and every year Shiny would sign up to perform. It could be said she was one of the main attractions, drawing many a festivalgoer to listen to her violin. The girl herself walked towards Sem, before sitting down and letting out a quiet sigh.
 
The gesture did not go unnoticed, and Sem’s eyes flickered over to Shiny momentarily. “Is something the matter, dear?” The tone was even, but a touch of concern had gone into the words.
 
Shiny started, surprised he had noticed, before standing up hastily. She looked half prepared for tomorrow, sheet music clutched in her hands. “Ah, no, well, I, um, I mean-”
 
“Is it because of them?”
 
“…Yeah.” Shiny’s eyes found themselves preoccupied with the floor.
 
“…Are you sure you’ll be okay? You don’t have to do this.” Sem said, still with a voice not meant to give even a hint of emotion away.
 
“I-I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow, Sem.” Shiny replied hastily before scrambling away down the stage, likely back to her house. Sem followed her with his eyes, lingering a the place she escaped his sight, before bringing his eyes forward again, only for them to widen considerably.
 
“Zacky, don’t you dare drop my bottled tears!”
 
“Bite me!”
 
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Shiny slowed down once the bright lights of the town were behind her, and simply took to walking aimlessly up the mountain. After the landmark was settled, a path was carved so those who wished could make their way to the top without too much difficulty. She took the winding path upwards, but shortly broke from the dirt road, making her way through the foliage. Before long, she found herself on an odd outcropping of the mountain, overlooking Taolang and all before it. She closed her eyes, and the music sheets she held in her hand began to glow, changing shape into a violin. She put the instrument into position, and began to play in front of the lone gravestone.
 
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“…You’re really good.” Shiny started at the voice, her trembling fingers dropping the violin. She whirled around to see a dark figure lurking in the mountains behind her. “…I-I’m not scared of you! Come on out!” Shiny was younger at the time, much, much younger. She was still learning the ways of Pokecharms, and was rather shaken when many of her good friends were banned. The kicks doled out by the man who went by Nemesis did nothing to help her already fragile nervousness. She assumed a fighting stance as best as she could.
 
The figure stepped out of the shadows, and a girl, likely her age, or even younger, waved her hands in a form of surrender. “Hey, hey, I don’t mean any trouble. I was just saying, you play really well.”
 
“…Really? U-um, thank you!” She brightened immediately at the praise, and bent over to pick up her violin. “I’m not that amazing in front of people, you know…”
 
“Then why don’t I play with you?”
 
“What?”

The girl raised her arm to the side, and a violin formed in her hands, crafted in the darkness itself. “I’ll play with you. It’ll be fine, won’t it?”
 
“O-Oh! Yeah, sure!” She turned around and began the tune, carefully stringing the notes along. Before long, the sound of another violin came into play. The sound was…different, to Shiny’s ears. Compared to her shorter, faster, and happier notes, this girl’s were more somber, and drawn out. Much to her surprise, Shiny found the music intertwining beautifully in a melody she had not heard before. The contrast was what made it better. The two ended at the same time, and Shiny turned to the girl.
 
“Wow! You’re amazing! …What’s your name?” She asked tentatively, and the girl seemed to consider her answer for a moment.
 
“I…Hm, I can’t say anyone has asked me that before. I’m a lurker by nature.” Shiny had heard of the lurkers. Unseen characters, hidden in the shadows, always listening, but never speaking. She had thought them to be something akin to a fairytale. “You can call me Shado.” She seemed pleased with herself. “Heheh, Shado. A fitting name for one such as I. It is nice to meet you…” She left off, awaiting for Shiny to supply her name.
 
“Shiny. Or Lyn. You can call me either!” Shado seemed pleased at the name, and gave a ghost of a smile towards her.
 
“Alright, Lyn. I hear there is a festival taking place in a couple weeks. Would you like to enter with me?”
 
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“Shiny? What’s up?”
 
Shiny opened her eyes, coming out of her reverie for a moment. She knew the voice by heart. Instead of answering, she chose to continue playing. The tune was something different from her style, or from the style of her old friend, Shado. It was indefinable, and something that reminded her of other times.
 
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It was a couple years after the first Festival. Although it was something of a chaotic mess, Shiny enjoyed playing with Shado. The other girl was certainly a character, often coming and going without Shiny even realizing. She had made more friends, and was becoming a more integrated member of the community. Every night, however, she always took the time to go out to where the two girls had first met and play, if only for a few minutes. And Shado was always there. Shiny would begin, and Shado would accompany the tune shortly, even if she could not see the lurker. They had just finished their piece when they met the third of their trio.
 
“Wow! That was amazing!” A high voice sounded. The two girls turned around to see a smaller girl watching them. She seemed fairly confident in her appearance, despite being shorter than the two. Shiny smiled.
 
“Heheh, thanks! I’m Shiny, and this is Shado!” She motioned to her friend, who just nodded. “What’s your name?”
 
“I’m Jenova, but you can call me Kimzie, too! Say, uh…” The shorter girl stopped, looking to the ground. As Shiny got a close look, she saw she carried a parasol in one hand, and held it rather cutely. She was reminded of a doll.
 
“No need to be shy! What is it?” She offered.
 
“…Can I play with you guys?” In an instant, the parasol twisted and morphed into a violin, and Kimzie held it at the ready.

“…Well,” Shiny looked to her friend. Shado nodded. “Yeah, I don’t see why not!” Shiny turned around and began the tune, and as per usual, Shado joined in, creating their duet. Shiny hadn’t expected Kimzie’s melodies to even compare to the duet that the duo had developed, but like with Shado, she was caught off guard.
 
Jenova’s tune seemed to wrap around both Shiny and Shado’s notes, somehow combining the tune together. It was an underlying melody that seemed to fuse all three into something beautiful, and it took Shiny’s breath away. She was surprised to find herself with a grin from ear to ear as she turned to Jenova.
 
“Hey…” Shado began, catching the other two by surprise. “There’s a festival coming up and, well, if you’d like to join us…”
 
“I’d love to!” Before Shiny knew it, Kimzie had jumped at her and Shado an enveloped them in a hug. They all smiled.
 
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Shiny ended her piece, and turned around, facing Kimzie. They both had matured since they had first met, and Kimzie gave her a hug as Shiny barreled towards her, violin clattering to the ground with a face full of tears.
 
“…I miss her too, Shiny. …She…She may not be dead.” Kimzie whispered into her ears, but it only made the girl cry harder. The tears stained the other girls shoulder. It had been a year since the first time Shiny had not heard Shado’s music follow her own. At first she thought it was a mistake, but as the days passed and no one had seen her, Shiny had given up hope.
 
Kimzie had suggested the funeral. In truth, no one truly knew the ways of the lurker. It was a small gathering, and only a couple had shown up. Kimzie, Shiny, Ethan, Sem. In retrospect, Shiny had no idea why he was there, or how he had known about it, but Sem simply did. The gravestone was placed, and Shiny played her heart out. It was a special piece, the last one they had performed together at the Festival of Stars. An Asian Ensemble.
 
Shiny found the tears had finally dried, and she brought her face to meet Kimzie’s own. “…Can you walk home with me?”
 
Kimzie gave a small smile. “Sure, Shiny, sure.” The two began walking back into the mountain’s forest. Before the lone gravestone was out of sight, however, Shiny gave one last look towards the plot.
 
And even though she saw nothing, her ears, as they always had, told her otherwise.
 
“…I’ll always be there for you.”
 
And at the edge of the moment, at the end of the line, on the finale of the performance…
 
One last farewell song was shared between two friends.