From the Vast

Chapter 12: Monster

"Eeeeee, do you think she'll draw me too grandma?"

The shorter half of the family may have taken their time getting ready for the big event today, but once they were finally awake, sated and ready, there was no extinguishing their combined enthusiasm. Cadence was busy demonstrating that fact the clearest, having to keep herself from running literal circles around her grandma and brother. Hops, twirls and leaps, the sheer extent of the Kirlia's excitement enough to overcome the biting cold of the winter morning. Or at least, enough in conjunction with Safeguard and a long scarf wrapped around most of her torso.

"You'll have to ask her nicely sweetie~."

"I will! It just sounds so cool, I wish I could draw..."

"I'm quite sure you already can draw Cadence!"

Elric's comment had the fairy stop in her dashing just to stick her tongue out at him, with the Gligar responding in kind and much more effectively at that. Any other time of the year and he'd be down on the ground, not wasting the opportunity for a bit of roughhousing... but no, not in winter. Not when they were on their way towards the mysterious human either.

"You know what I mean!"

The bat's resulting cackle, accompanied by a deft leap from the wall of one building to another, had the littlest member of the group join in on the giggles from his grandma's arms. Bell's very slow pace may have made his sister annoyed when he took forever to catch up, but it also meant that any longer marches would be spent being held by a loved one, teeny Ralts body squirming for the umpteenth time that morning at how nice it all felt. Grandma holding him, a warm blanket around him, they would be meeting a new friend! What's not to like?

"Maybe Anne will show Cadence how to draw?"

Bell liked that idea. It made him happy to think about. Friends being nice to each other- and of course they'd be friends with the human! Grandma told them she was nice, and nice people meant friends.

"Nooooo, she doesn't need to! I can't draw, it'd just be a waste of time."

"But would you want her to teach you?"

"She won't be interested, Elric!"

"You don't know that~."

Autumn's comment had her granddaughter's self-deprecating train of thought finally stop and fizzle with a grumble. True, she didn't know that, but c'mon, Anne wouldn't wanna waste her time on someone who couldn't draw at all, she'd have so many more interesting things to talk about! Humans could do so many weird, cool things, of course Anne would want to talk about those!

Before either Elric or Autumn could egg their friend or family member on, the entrance to the medical tent finally came into view. Cadence wasted no time before bolting straight ahead without a care in the world, the Indeedee's call for her to slow down getting stuck in her own throat and discarded shortly afterwards. Incorrigible, that one.

Her loved ones would not have it any other way.

The Gligar was only slightly behind his friend, the two getting all of thirty-odd seconds of head start in confusedly looking around the tent before Autumn and Bell inevitably caught up. No Aria, no Marco, the bed that the latter had slept in emptied and cleaned up. Hmm. The medics would probably know something.

"Esther? Do you know where Marco went?"

Autumn's call had the Blissey spare them all a brief look, a serious expression melting at the sight of the excited kiddos against her will.

"He and Aria left for some scout business I'm quite sure, haven't gotten back yet."

That much was clear, the quick 'thanks' letting the chief medic return to her duties. Figures Marco would've gone with Aria even if just to provide another vote in favor of letting Anne stay, fingers crossed it all ended up working out. No way of knowing at the moment though, but no matter what, Autumn's own duty took precedence. Gotta mentally prepare everyone else here for the existence of a wild human in their midst. Which meant...