“…Hmph.”
With a little contented sigh, Eris slowly sat down – crossing her forelegs to make herself more comfortable in a way she’d never have expected to be so… familiar, even…
…well, however long it’d been. A year? Two, almost?
Shockingly, becoming a pokemon hadn’t even been close to the biggest change in her life in the past few years – but, as far as she was concerned, right now, watching a flock of wingulls twist in the evening wind, it… probably was the best.
Certainly the most memorable.
It was about that time, as the sylveon let out a long, comfy yawn, that she realized she was… really comfortable. The soft, velvety green grass cradled her like a soft pillow, the warm sun and cool wind mixed and swirled together on her fur in just the right way to keep her feeling just right… and above, white fluffy clouds crossed the sky, pushed along by the summer breeze.
A nap couldn’t hurt, could it?
So, as Eris finally curled up, deciding to catch a wink or two of sleep… she drifted off into the land of dreams, the forest around her filled with birdsong and wind.
Until, suddenly, there was a rustling.
From the bushes surrounding the small meadow the Sylveon had picked for their impromptu afternoon nap, an orange-and-black tail peeked out – followed by a head, clad in a little pair of goggles and a mischievous grin. A Nickit – but not just any Nickit – this was a famous thief!
…or, well. Soon to be famous. A working-on-being-famous thief didn’t quite have the same ring to it, now did it?
Still, as the Nickit peered across the meadow, their grin grew a little bit wider. A mark! An easy mark, too… what kinda pokemon falls asleep out here, anyway? What a rookie!
Lightning quick, the little thief darted out of the bushes – tiptoeing across the green grass, trying to stay as quiet as possible… and, with a practiced little YOINK, Eris’s hairband and the cute little chopsticks poked through her hair were safely in the comfortably lightly used ownership of the Nickit, smug as they were. Didn’t even wake the Sylveon up!
Allowing themself the slightest amount of celebration, the Nickit bolted, hoping to be far and away by the time their recent mark even noticed the things were missing… and, as soon as they crossed the border to the meadow, they promptly forgot why they had a weird little piece of cloth and two wooden sticks in their mouth.
Something about them seemed… gone? Oh, well. Garbage, probably…
With a ptoo!, the Nickit dropped them on the forest floor, padding off into the undergrowth.
…Eris, however, was dreaming. A dream she hadn’t had in…
…in a while?
Her own self was staring back, human body as recognizable as ever, but… something felt wrong.
She knew she was supposed to have recognized her – knew that face, the hair, the glasses, the hair tie and the chopsticks – but… the longer she focused, trying to force the information out of the dreamscape, the more it seemed to dance away, dwindling to nothing. Who was that? Why’d she seem familiar…?
Huh?
“W-Wait…!”
The Sylveon held out a paw, and, suddenly, she awoke with a little yelp.
The moon was high overhead, casting the field in sharp relief – and as the sylveon stood, for a moment she felt… weird. Almost like something snapped into place that hadn’t been there before, a piece removed, a piece gained.
Eris looked down at her paws, the same four she’d always had – and up, at her ribbons held about her like arms ready for a hug. It seemed… wrong, somehow, like she was missing something right in front of her nose.
Her hair fell down as she glanced down, then back up, and something about that seemed funny. Wasn’t there usually something holding it back?
…No, how would she have tied it with paws? That didn’t make any sense.
Had someone else done it for her…?
The sylveon shook her head, conflicting memories melding together into something more fitting – she’d obviously been out here to do some relaxing! Right?
…Well, judging by the time, she’d definitely relaxed enough. Sheesh…
Must’ve fallen asleep on accident, the Guild was probably worried sick…
Eris gathered herself up, shaking the dust free as best she could, and wandered off back towards the path, noticing something… odd, laying in the grass as she passed back into the woods. Two little… sticks?
She pawed them around for a moment, wondering why they seemed the faintest bit familiar, before shrugging. Oh, well.
Probably some lost rockruff toy or something.