Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Small Doses ❯ Chapter 2

You know, I don't think anyone else writes this pairing. If you do write Antiquityshipping, please tell me!

 

And here's Part Two! Enjoy!

 

. . . DAMMIT THIS WILL HAVE TO BE A THREESHOT. *headdesk* Sorry, guys! It's just too long!

 

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Pokemon franchise-I only own the specific personalities for these characters, not their species.

 

Rating: T for language and violence. But, knowing me, that's nothing new, right?

 

 

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The only thing Lady Weavile remembered was being lead by a strong hand on her shoulder into a house, and then she found herself standing before the scrutiny of Rain's teammates. The Rhyperior, Bobby, was the only one who didn't hate her guts-in fact, she looked rather satisfied that she was there. Melody, on the other hand, wasn't too happy about it. She looked as if she was going to throw both leaders out of the place. With Rain's persuasion, however, she left her alone in the guest room, only mumbling about thieves and locking away their valuables.

 

To be honest, the Sharp Claw Pokemon didn't much care what anyone thought at that moment; all she wanted was some peace and quiet so she could think. She had already explained the situation to him, so he left her alone with the offer of staying for as long as she needed, closing the door softly behind him. She walked over to the window and stared out of it, watching nature outside as she pondered what she was going to do. I've already made up my mind to stay the night at least with them, but what should I do after that? Should I wait for them to apologize? I don't know how long that'll take, and as fun as it is to annoy that Roserade, I don't want to lose my feathers.

 

She had to figure out what exactly she wanted them to apologize for, though. They did eavesdrop on her private conversation, of course, but when she thought about it she realized that she would have done the same thing herself. Frowning at the sudden realization, she placed her elbows on the windowsill and stared at the ground outside, lost in thought. Thinking back to her argument with them on the road to their mission, she tried to figure out at what point exactly she lost her temper.

 

“And we saw you sitting on the beach talking to him a couple of times,” Toxi confessed, once again earning her leader's glower.

 

Her tone was as bitter as her breath was becoming in preparation of an Icy Wind. “Why were you guys spying on me?”

 

“We thought you were taking our relationship as a bad thing when you left . . . and then when I followed to apologize I saw you both there.”

 

She clenched her claws into fists at the reminder of her anger, but instead of flying into another blind rage she used her logic to coolly dissect her emotions and discern the source of it. Remaining detached as if analyzing a completely different person's thoughts, she rewound the mental tape to make sure she didn't miss anything. She had to be the level-headed leader like she always was, even if she was writhing in a frenzy of Fury Swipes and Dark Pulses on the inside.

 

Her claws clenched in fury as she imagined the two snickering behind a bush. Those were private conversations! They weren't supposed to be watchingme! Where's my respect? I'm their leader, dammit! For some reason, she felt they had stumbled upon some sort of secret she had had fun hiding, and that made her angry as hell. It had been nice talking to Rain, thinking they were the only two that knew about their meetings. And what if Melody knows? For some reason, she didn't like that.

 

She put aside the furious outer layer and delved deeper, scrutinizing every thought and image that had come to mind at the time. She decided that she wasn't exactly angry at their snooping-after all, it was what she would have done if in their positions-but more at their questioning. She didn't like the breach of her authority and security when they tried to wrench answers from her, and that's when she grew defensive and cold. With the root of the problem found, she tried to find a way to tackle the problem and wrestle a solution out of it. She would settle with an apology for questioning her, but if she had to tell them the problem then it would take a bit more before she forgave them. But they had to approach her first.

 

She spent much time deliberating on the subject, changing her mind and then going back to her original idea several times, until finally she settled on a plan and decided she was hungry. Back to the calm, cool and collected leader she was, Lady Weavile exited the room she had been in for two hours to find something to eat. Locating the kitchen with ease and searching the cabinets for a berry or two, she was interrupted when a feminine voice inquired with a chuckle, “Raiding our base, are you?”

 

She whirled around defensively only to meet Team Raiders' defense herself, and she lowered her claws to ask the Rhyperior, “I'm sorry, was I supposed to ask?”

 

“No, no, go ahead.” Bobby waved a claw casually for her to continue. “You're our guest, so our food is your food.” When she only received a frown, she sighed and offered, “I made sure Melody didn't poison the food.” She looked satisfied at Lady Weavile's scowl before watching her rummage through their things, finding a Yache berry with a triumphant grunt before taking a bite out of its incredibly tough exterior. I didn't think they liked these berries, she mused as she turned to face Bobby with an indifferent expression. Then again, I didn't think they would eat plant-produced things, especially a Roserade. Isn't that cannibalism or something?

 

“Are you friends with our leader?”

 

She stiffened slightly at the unexpected question, but she coolly replied, “As a matter of fact, I am. He didn't tell you?” Mentally she gave a sigh of relief that he hadn't told them about it, but she wouldn't let Bobby know that.

 

“No, he didn't.” The Ground/Rock-Type crossed her arms with a thoughtful frown, showing she wanted to ask about the subject but was choosing to not dive into what wasn't her business.

 

For that, Lady Weavile instantly felt respect for her and relaxed under her gaze. The Rhyperior held an aura of experience and wisdom, and she surprised herself when she muttered, “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome.” Uncrossing her arms, she gave a reassuring smile. “I could tell you needed some sort of comfort, and it wouldn't be right to interrogate you. I'm sure you're very defensive and guarded if you've left your team.”

 

Although she wanted to ask when she had figured that out and how, Lady Weavile refrained from doing so as repayment for not asking. Taking a seat across from her, she took another bite of her berry and asked, “So, what's it like being a Master Ranked team?” It was purely for small talk, but at the same time she did wonder what was so amazing about it.

 

Bobby put her elbows onto the table with two soft thunks and sighed. “To be honest, the only difference is the intensity of the jobs we get. I personally hate doing errand missions, but Rain doesn't like to not accept any of them, so we're stuck doing them.”

 

Lady Weavile smirked at her misfortune. “Sounds like it's not all that it's cracked up to be, huh?”

 

“Yeah, so don't get cocky when you get there, okay?” A short chuckle was exchanged between them, and Team AWD's leader realized how at ease she felt with the Pokemon. I can honestly say I'm closer to her than my own teammates, and I've only talked to her for a few minutes! “So,” she brought her out of her thoughts, “what missions do you despise?”

 

“Escort missions.” They shared an aggravated groan at the thought. “I always seem to end up with the idiots.”

 

“Or maybe the idiots are the only ones who need help?”

 

“True, true.” She waved a claw as if to swat it away. “Personally, though, I'd appreciate it if they just met somewhere else. I mean, honestly, a dungeon? Who'd want to meet up with “their true love” in a dungeon?”

 

“I don't know.” The Rhyperior grinned. “Love makes you do some pretty crazy things.”

 

Lady Weavile growled, “Tell me about it. My teammates started getting paranoid because they thought I wouldn't approve of their relationship.”

 

“Really?” Despite having decided at first not to tell her, she felt after Bobby had kept her nose out of the matter that she was trustworthy enough to know. So, she explained all that had happened that day, all the way up to when Rain had led her to the base in a cold daze. Bobby nodded and commented at the proper times, and even hissed in sympathy as she explained the fate of a few poor trees. After she was done, the Drill Pokemon crossed her arms in thought, giving a small, “Hm.”

 

Lady Weavile sighed, her mental and physical exhaustion finally taking its toll as it exuded from her voice. “Yeah . . . I just couldn't believe they'd do such a thing. I mean, would it really make that much of a difference? Being friends with another team?”

 

“Well,” Bobby shifted to lean back in her chair (it was probably invincible if it could stand her weight), “to look at it one way, making such a bond could cut down your profits. After all, friends hang out and travel together or share jobs, and doing so would split payments and such.”

 

“That would make sense . . . if we were the same ranks.” The Dark/Ice-Type frowned and pointed out, “No offense, but if we were to be friends with you, it could only get better for us. Hell, you guys are Master Rank!”

 

“True . . .” She was quiet for a moment, seeming to mull it over, before suggesting another reason for their paranoia. “Maybe they were jealous, or afraid.”

 

“What?” Lady Weavile scoffed. “That's ridiculous. Jealous? Afraid?”

 

“What would you do if your leader was hanging out with someone else instead of you and your teammates?” When the weasel opened her mouth but couldn't find a response, Bobby continued. “What would you do if you leader never brought up the subject, or would flirt with that other person constantly?”

 

She made an indignant noise. “I do not flirt.”

 

Bobby laughed. “Oh, really?” She fluttered her eyelashes and blew a kiss across the table, mocking, “Good luck, darling!” When Lady Weavile scowled at her impression of her, the Rhyperior grinned and asked, “See what I mean?”

 

“It's taunting, not flirting.”

 

“Then honey, he should be stuck to using damaging attacks for the rest of his life.” After receiving a glare for the bad joke, she sobered a bit and went on, “But you can see where they misunderstood. They probably feel that he was taking you away from them, in a sense, and they ended up pushing you away with their fear.”

 

“It's bloody stupid, if you ask me.” She raked a claw through her headdress of feathers, giving a soft sigh. “Nobody's taking me away. Not if I don't want to.”

 

“That's the problem.” Lady Weavile gave her a confused glance, but she only smiled and simply stopped her explanation there as she motioned at the berry in her other claw. “Are you going to finish that?”

 

She looked down at it, made a face, and took another bite as an answer. To be honest, all of this talking made her lose her appetite, but she didn't feel like wasting a good Yache berry anytime soon. Sacrilege, she mentally joked.

 

 

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“They still haven't come yet?”

 

Lady Weavile looked over her shoulder to see the Blade Pokemon walking across the guest room floor to stand beside her, and she returned her gaze to the window as she stared at nature surrounding the base. “No, they haven't.” Then a sly grin appeared on her face as she taunted, “And shouldn't you know what happens in your headquarters?”

 

“It's not a headquarters,” he responded instead. “It's more of a giant house.”

 

“Right. Me and my teammates live in separate living arrangements, to avoid fights and . . .” She trailed off as she thought of them, wondering once more why they hadn't come yet and if they really cared about her, and finished lamely, “Stuff.” She wasn't heartbroken or depressed because of their absence in caring, but she was slightly perturbed at the fact they hadn't tried to kiss up to her yet. Or at least, that was what she told herself-what her cold, calm logic told her. And it was never wrong.

 

He seemed to think otherwise, however, for he sighed and reassured her, “Don't worry, I'm sure they're just trying to think of what to say.”

 

“I'm not worried,” she replied, although a small part of her agreed that it was irksome to wonder about it. “I'm just annoyed.”

 

“Sure you are.”

 

She scowled, making him chuckle at her familiar sour behavior, and she decided to turn her attention to him instead of nature outside as she faced him curiously. “So, darling,” her taunting (and completely not flirty) tone returned and made him tense up, “what are you going to do today? Go on a mission or two? Go watch your fangirls swooning and swaying at the sight of you?” She knew mentioning his fans would irk him, and she smirked victoriously as he gave her an irritated glance, his mouth curved down into a frown.

 

“Actually, no, I'm not. We're not, I mean-today I've decided to take a rain check on work and let my teammates restore their strength.”

 

“You mean like a holiday?” He nodded. “Hm, that's not something I'd expect you to do, darling. Very unexpected, you know.”

 

“Hey. Just because I like to do missions doesn't mean I don't like to relax, too.”

 

“That's not what you normally say, but whatever.” She grinned. “I won't tell you how to run your team, even if mine's better.”

 

He mirrored her expression and teased playfully, “And yet I'm the one with a Master Rank. Funny how that works.” When he had succeeded in getting her to scowl again, he had his own triumphant grin before he cleared his throat and his expression turned serious once more. “Weavile, I have to ask you something.” It was strange for anyone to call her just “Weavile,” but she had found it even more bizarre to hear him say it with “Lady”. That was the only reason they were on more “informal” terms with each other when it came to names.

 

She waved a claw dismissively at his hesitance. “Go ahead, darling. Shoot.”

 

“We're friends, right?”

 

“Well, duh.” She rolled her eyes at his stupidity. “I wouldn't be hanging out here if I wasn't.”

 

“And friends help each other out . . . right?”

 

“Yeah . . .” She frowned and motioned for him to continue.

 

“Well . . . I want to help you out . . . with your teammates.” When she looked about ready to protest at the suggestion, he quickly explained, “They've recently returned from the mission you left them to do but are utterly clueless on how to approach you. You aren't exactly . . . the warmest person they know.”

 

“I'm part Ice, not Fire.” She scowled in disgust at the term, hating the fire-breathing creatures for everything they were. Shaking away her ill feelings, she tilted her head curiously at him and asked, “You talked to them about it? Ah.” She quickly shook her head before he could answer. I need to stop being so paranoid. “You know what, never mind. What exactly did you have in mind, then?”

 

“Maybe . . .” He hesitated, as if knowing she wouldn't like the idea. “. . . Maybe you could meet up with them several times to talk to them about it, before you actually decide to forgive them and return to the base. As in, you meet up somewhere, discuss a few things, and then leave and stay away from them until next time.” He frowned. “Would you do that, at least? They're very, very worried about you.”

 

She scoffed at his last sentence, waving it away with gritted teeth. “Alright, alright, fine, darling. But I won't make any promises.”

 

He smiled and chuckled at her sour expression. “I knew you wouldn't.”

 

“They may just piss me off more.”

 

He shrugged. “What happens will happen.”

 

 

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Lady Weavile looked at her teammates shifting anxiously in their spots on the picnic blanket, an irritable scowl on her face. She was going to kill them for scheduling their fifth meeting early in the morning, making the location a bit out of town, and going out of the way to request Rain's absence (for the fifth time). They're still suspicious, I see. She clenched her knees with her claws, ignoring the burn of them to instead focus her attention on a speck of dirt on the blanket. She hadn't touched the basket of berries they had brought, even the Yache berries.

 

Corvax, after giving his girlfriend a nervous glance, started the conversation. “Good morning, Lady Weavile. And how have you been lately?”

 

Her response came from gritted teeth. “Pecha-y. And you two Luvdisc?” She never did like beating around the bush.

 

They blushed and looked away, anxiously shifting closer to each other for comfort. The sight of them made her sick-couldn't they stand on their own two feet . . . or whatever? There was a fine line between “teamwork” and “dependant” that they were walking on.

 

“It'sssss fine. Other than, of courssssse, your absence . . .”

 

“We miss you,” Toxi finally blurted out, and then slapped her claw over her mouth as the Arbok beside her sighed. He seemed to have known she would have burst eventually, which actually wasn't surprising (she had trouble keeping her mouth shut). After an awkward amount of staring between the three of them, she continued softly, “Believe it or not, we miss you. You're our leader.”

 

“Not right now,” she replied bitterly, watching coldly as they both flinched at her callous reply. “I leader needs trust from her teammates-not paranoia.”

 

“Actually,” the Arbok surprisingly ventured, “we're not the only onesssss to be paranoid . . . you didn't like the thought of usssss following you. You were paranoid firssssst.”

 

“What? How?!”

 

“By not telling usssss about him.”

 

“Corvax's right,” the Drapion spoke up, not looking so shy anymore. “We would have understood if you'd told us, you know. It just . . . it makes us feel hurt that you didn't.”

 

Lady Weavile closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried not to imagine their side of the story, but she couldn't help it when she saw it through their eyes-seeing them sneak off to laugh and chat together, keeping it a secret, not bothering to bring it up with her. Almost tearing off her kneecaps with her tense claws, she spoke evenly and quietly. “I know it might not have been right to not tell you, but I didn't think it was your right to know.”

 

“It's not like we would have judged you!” The Ogre Scorp Pokemon waved a claw at her, a concerned frown on her face. “After all, we got together without telling you.”

 

“We're not together.”

 

Toxi blinked, and then realized what she said and stammered, “Oh, I-I didn't mean it like that! Sorry, that came out wrong!”

 

Lady Weavile's mouth twitched, but she managed to refrain from grinning. “Everything you say comes out wrong.” She hoped they didn't catch her faintly humorous tone and think she was forgiving them. She was far from that, but she could still laugh at their idiocy. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes to stare at them coolly. “Toxi, Corvax, I know you're both sorry. I know that. But I can't feel true forgiveness unless . . . well,” she sighed, “you both trust me more. I can't lead you two through a dungeon without trust. If anything, this is more like protecting you from doubt than getting you to grovel at my feet, now.”

 

Their eyes met her gaze with understanding dawning on their expressions, both nodding in agreement at her statement.

 

“Just have more trust in me. I'll return when you do.”

 

 

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“So, how'd it go?”

 

She sighed, placing her elbows on the windowsill as she stared at the nature outside. “I guess it went well. Neither of them are dead yet.”

 

Rain chuckled at her response. “Well, that's always a good sign.” Walking across the room to stand beside her like always, he watched her carefully. “Why do you look outside all of the time?”

 

“I like to imagine the world covered in snow,” she admitted, her eyes roving the horizon as she conjured up a sea of white enveloping everything she could see. “The world is always so beautiful when completely white, especially under the moonlight.”

 

“Hm. It's nighttime, but not winter. Too bad.”

 

“Yeah, it really is.” Letting herself daydream for a little more, she finally straightened and turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest as she returned the stare. “So, what'd you really come here for, darling?”

 

He frowned at her, looking snubbed. “I'm checking in on you.”

 

“And I'm sure it's not also to avoid Rose-a-bitch.”

 

He shook his head, looking rather disappointed. “No, I'm not-actually, she's having a “girls' night out” or something with Bobby. Funny,” he added as an afterthought, “I thought Bobby had told you about it.”

 

“Oh, no, she didn't, but she probably knew that by the end of the night, two of us would be dead.” She grinned when he rolled his eyes, something he hadn't started doing until she had become friends with him. “Besides, I'm not in the mood for gossip.”

 

“And why not?”

 

“Because most of it involves me.”

 

“. . . ah.” He bit his lip, looking regretful about something, but he waved it away as she looked at him curiously. “Well, it's always like that. Crazy, I mean.”

 

As she traveled to the bed to lay down on it, she replied with a wink, “But they do make rather interesting stories.” She settled down with a content sigh, putting her claws behind her head to prop it up so she didn't have to crane her neck to stare at him. He had a puzzled frown on his face and was staring at her as if she had said that female Gallade existed.

 

“What kind of stories, dare I ask?”

 

“Well,” she smirked, enjoying his “uh-oh” grimace, “other than that whole “me and you secretly dating” thing, there's rumor going around that Corvax is having an affair with Bobby, or me depending on who's telling the story. There's also someone who thinks that Bobby and Rose-a-bitch have been plotting a way to kick me out of your house, or you and Bobby dropping her to be replaced by me, or even the odd tale that Wigglytuff is actually being mature for once.”

 

“. . . Interesting . . . ?”

 

“Oh, yeah, loads.”

 

He frowned, soaking up the gossip like a sponge, and she watched merrily as he appeared to be caught in a confusing whirlwind of information. Men don't seem to handle gossip well, it looks like. Grinning like a Wynaut, she poked him verbally, “So, darling, you're still here. Checking on me takes this long?”

 

He crossed his arms (mindful of his elbows, of course) and rolled his eyes. “When it involves you, it does.” He sounded fairly annoyed instead of concerned like most people might be in this situation.

 

Lady Weavile touched her heart and mocked gratitude. “Oh, I'm flattered, darling. It's really nice to know that you care.” Smirking when he gave her an “okay-stop-it” look, she sat up and crossed her legs while propping herself up with her claws behind her. “Oh, you know you love my company.”

 

“If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now, would I?” He frowned at her snickering and shook his head. “No matter how irritating and confusing you may be.”

 

“Oh, it's all a part of the “Lady Weavile package”.” Her smirk grew wider. “Lucky for you, I'm on sale.”

 

“Do you go out of your way to do that?” His frown was deeper and troubled as he eyed her carefully, as if looking for some sort of trap. Being an explorer could make you rather paranoid, she realized. And maybe that's where I got it from.

 

“Do what?”

 

“You-you sound like you're flirting, but I can never really tell with you.”

 

“. . . Really?” She finally mirrored his frown, trying to remember all she had said that night. Going over it, she realized that what she had considered teasing could easily be mistaken for flirtatious behavior. Oops. At least now I know why everyone looks at us so weird. Mentally scowling at the thought, she shook her head and told him, “Well, I didn't mean it that way. Taunting, you know?”

 

His frown didn't lessen, but his gaze slid away to the window she had been staring out of a few minutes earlier. She could have sworn that he looked a bit depressed about something, although what was beyond her.

 

“Oh. Weird that you don't do it consciously.”

 

 

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Since Rain was busy with paperwork and Melody was running other errands, Bobby decided to ask Lady Weavile to join her on shopping duty. Although at first reluctant, the leader of Team AWD had found a friend and confidant in the Rhyperior and really couldn't say “no” to her. That was the reason that she was tagging along behind Bobby while browsing the marketplace of Treasure Town, lugging the purse she had been handed to carry on her shoulder.

 

Lady Weavile's gaze flitted around the colorful stalls, eyeing the shiny things with approval and envy. “So, what are you shopping for, exactly?” She only asked to make small talk, since the silence between them made her a bit uneasy.

 

Bobby looked over her shoulder at the weasel, smiling a little, and then returning her attention in front of her as she replied, “Just a few staples for the mission coming up. You know, like Apples and-”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved a claw dismissively, even though she wouldn't see it. “I get it.” Helping her pick out the finest gear from the stingy Kecleon brothers, she remained silent for the half-hour that it took for them to collect everything needed, and it remained undisturbed as they began to take the path back to Team Raiders' base. She was going to break it before she caught a glimpse of two familiar purple figures in the distance.

 

Toxi and Corvax.

 

She gritted her teeth at the sight of them and was about to turn around when she saw a look of recognition cross the Drapion's face, and she motioned to her boyfriend and suggested something before turning back the other way and going on ahead of them. The Dark/Ice-Type was stunned as Corvax gave her a nod, his face warm with acceptance and understanding as he followed the Ogre Scorp Pokemon, letting her walk alongside Bobby without hindrance. Her jaw nearly dropped in amazement.

 

They . . . they're not going to bother me.

 

The entire misunderstanding had occurred when her teammates had stepped over the boundaries and tried to question her motives, and now they were fixing it by letting her do what she wanted without doubting her. They could have walked up to them, simply to say “hi”, but they knew she wouldn't like that and so just avoided them altogether. What may seem like a sign of nervousness to approach her to some came across as them accepting her leadership in her eyes.

 

She felt a warmth bloom in her soul at the thought of them letting her be, but she quickly smashed it with an iron fist as she shook the idea out of her head. Ignoring Bobby's curious glance, the Sharp Claw Pokemon sped up the pace a bit to walk beside her. She felt a lot more confident, and she was sure she was ready for anything.

 

“Lady Weavile?”

 

She grunted off-handedly, “Yeah?” She was too busy imagining her triumphing over a pathetic Charmeleon with ease to be bothered by the Rhyperior.

 

“Do you like Rain?”

 

She nearly tripped and ate the path.

 

 

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Lots of dragon-y love (and cookies!),

~DL (`Dragon Lover')