LuckyBlackCat

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"I know, I know," Jess replied, cringing again. "It's just, uh, been a while." She fell quiet, staring out of the car window, at nothing in particular. Getting emotional had been bound to happen, but people doing that was one of the many things that annoyed Roxy. Undoubtedly for reasons.

Throughout the journey, Jess watched the outside world drift past. A world she still felt out of place in. Readapting could happen with time, but to build a life, an identity, would mean impacting on somebody else's. Traces of the anchor's foul mood crept through to her.

Once they'd arrived back at the garage, and another, more subdued goodbye had been said, Jess stood by the front door as the car disappeared into the distance. As good as it had been to see her mother for the first time in years, she couldn't forget that sick feeling of worry that hadn't even been her own.

---

Amelia Bailey

It was with mixed emotions that Amelia drove home. The day she'd been waiting for had finally happened, but it shouldn't have been like this. Her daughter's future shouldn't depend on someone like Roxy.

Whatever her story may be, nothing gave the anchor the right to treat Jess that way. Amelia clenched her jaw, no longer having to hide anything. Not that there'd been much point in trying to hide things from her daughter, as it had turned out. She didn't want to think what her inner feelings must have done to Jess. It was only because she'd wanted to keep this first family meeting in years as conflict-free as possible that she hadn't called the anchor out, but Jess most likely knew how much she'd wanted to.

At some point, she'd have to say something.

Pokemon Spiral

@fer1323 Pic's finally scanned, sorry about the wait.

Breloom x Florges

He trusts her enough to follow her into the fairy ring... Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your interpretation.

Btw, do you want a recap on what's happening with Hammer?

Pokemon: New World

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Tefan Village

@Darkmoon Angel @Zarkun

At a loss, Cici sighed. "It's not your fault," she said softly. "If we hadn't worked together just now..." She kept glancing in the direction of the desk, nerves tightening with each passing minute. Tommy wasn't to blame, but he was right about something. They all had to become better trainers.

The musician's five healthy Pokemon surrounded her, Ligeia bouncing up into her lap, blue eyes filled with worry. "They'll be ok," Cici tried to reassure her, petting her on top of the head. The fairy type's recent evolution should have been something to celebrate, but right now, their main concern was the state of the Pokemon who'd taken on something they'd been in no way ready for. "They have to be ok..."

The moment the nurse reappeared at the desk, Cici and Ligeia jumped up. The trainer's stiff muscles ached as she ran forward. "How are they...?"

She relaxed at the nurse's smile. "They'll be fine, they'll just need to take it easy for a day or so," the red-haired woman replied, handing three Pokeballs to Cici. The guitarist instantly let them out, Forte swaying as he stomped over, Kymbalon appearing with her scales scratched up, and Dulcet wobbling in midair before perching on her trainer's shoulder.

Cici gave a laugh of relief. "Whew... You gave me a scare." Or rather, it must have been her who'd given them a nasty shock by pitting them against a much stronger opponent, she thought with a twinge of guilt. "You shouldn't have had to be involved in something like that. Not this early on. I really should've thought this through."

She'd told Tommy not to blame himself, only to do exactly the same thing. It all felt like her fault. As strongly as she believed in helping others, rushing into something way over her head - and dragging others along - didn't help anyone.

Cici

TP: +1 +1 (80)
Pokemon:

• Loudred (Forte), male, lv24
• Swablu (Dulcet), female, lv21
• Jigglypuff (Ligeia), female, lv17
• Kricketot (Cadence), female, lv7
• Chingling (Allegro), male, lv8
• Hoothoot (Tactus), male, lv9
• Jangmo-o (Kymbalon), female, lv15
• Litleo (Breig), male, lv5

Inventory:

• Pokeball x1

Rank: Skilled
Organisation: Helping Hand Guild

---

CP

+1 (73)

Pokemon: New World

@Zarkun @Darkmoon Angel Sorry about the delay, been spending time with family. Working on a post now.

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

As the hours of awkward conversation passed, shadows lengthened and the temperature began to drop. That fear still emanated from Roxy, as relentless as a winter's chill. Jess knew she shouldn't ask, shouldn't pry, but she couldn't help wondering what the anchor was trying to hide.

"Well," Jess' mom said, eyes flicking from the empath to Roxy for a second, to make sure the other woman was listening too. "I guess we'd better make a move, if you're both ok with that." There was something a little uncomfortable about her smile as it widened. "Oh, Jess, it's been so good to spend a day out again! If only it could have been... under happier circumstances."

Jess nodded, the corners of her mouth quirking up. "Yeah... It has. Dad would have, uh..." She couldn't finish the sentence. No, her dad wouldn't have wanted this. Both she and her mom knew that... and the unease she took on wasn't just because of the visit to the grave. "Well, he'd have wanted us to see each other again."

If only things had been different. If only things had been easier for everyone involved.

Spectral Corp

*prods* Is this still alive?

Be my Sanctuary

@KatherinWinter Ugh, so annoying when that happens. If someone's going to drop, they could at least do the respectful thing and say something. I've had stuff like that happen, this one RP I joined never got off the ground because the GM left it without a word.

Anyway, want me to timeskip a little? Not sure how to progress the story while they're still in the cafe.

Be my Sanctuary

@KatherinWinter Just didn't want you to think I'd dropped, especially considering your status. Is there anything you want to talk about?

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

The cafe was meant to be a cosy, pleasant place to unwind, but for Jess and Roxy, it wasn't relaxing in the slightest. Even as Jess tried to chat with her mother over lunch, she couldn't ignore the worry coming from her - or the distrust for Roxy.

The empath nibbled at her sandwich, glancing over at the anchor every few minutes, but not saying anything to her. That fear, that frustration, that self-blame - Roxy clearly wanted to work through it all on her own. In some ways, Jess could relate. She'd always believed some problems could only really be solved alone. In other ways, though... She had no idea what could have happened in Roxy's past to make her act like this right now.

"I'll help to look into this, ok?" Jess' mom gently offered. "I'll help figure out what could be causing this."

Jess gave a nervous smile. "Uh... Thanks." Luckily, Roxy didn't seem to be listening, her attention on her phone. If she'd heard... well, she'd already made it clear she didn't want others prying into the matter.

Be my Sanctuary

@KatherinWinter Sorry for lack of replies, there's stuff going on and I'm catching up with RPs I'm in. Writing up a post.