Squirrels scurry as the birds sing in the orange and green trees. The Village buzzed with scarcely hidden excitement, whispers, laughter, even some domestic yelling. Ava walks away from a dashing man with a truck, her oceanic shirt blows freely in the wind as she carries a brown paper bag close to her chest. It's my third month in Sheridan… I didn't even expect to graduate by now let alone in my second month here. I hope Aelita don't mind me bringing a store bought cake for Keta, I don't hate him but I sure as hell don't like him enough to learn how to bake.
Ava turns the dirt roads bend and see's Celia leaning into someone else. "What do you mean some men with wings just took her?!"
Ava's ears perk at the query. "What's going on?"
"Some men in dark suits snatched Aelita while we were in the forest training." the old man rubs his bruised wrist.
"Xen.." Ava mumbles their name while Keta echoes it from on top The Spring of Purification.
Celia easily pushes Ava to the side. "Keta NO!" But Keta ignores her demanding plea, as his leaps become more distant. "Ava what are you doing! Go after him!"
Feeling Celia's desperation Ava's body bolts after Keta before her mind can comprehend the situation. The forestry along with the village and its people all blur into a single pattern as Ava bullet's after Keta's echo. Why is Xen here? Why did they go after Aelita? How much danger is she in? Just because they didn't kill Melia, doesn't mean they won't kill her… Right?. Her thoughts whirl together taking turns on her psyche.
Ava's blind focus is sharply cut when her feet dash on hot liquid, her bare toes dipping in ever so slightly. "Hot! Hot! Hot! Hothot!" She sprints towards the closest body of land before looking down at her melted sandals and the bright hot orange goo? Dripping from her toes. She finally looks up to see the pool of lava swallow her sandal. "I didn't even realize it came off… Wait a damn minute I just bought these!"
Keta slides up to Ava and grabs her collar, yanking her down to his level. "Why did you follow me?!" Ava's dilated eyes slowly return to normal while Keta's ragged pants revert to quick shallow breaths.
Why?... Roll with it. Ava doesn't try to break his grasp. "Other than Celia practically demanding me to follow you, if Xen is here, I don't think you'd be able to handle them." Keta's gaze falters before he lets go of Ava's shirt. "They have Aelita, I know you're worried because even I'm worried; I haven't even known her for all her life."
The father shakes his head in his palm. "You're right, apologies." Keta turns and points towards an open room.
"Looks unfinished, how much of a rush were they in?" Ava adds
"Not much of one. Aelita is being held in that building, I spent most of my time here getting stopped by grunts and researchers." Keta's sunken eye twitches for a brief second, flicking a grimace on and off his face.
Why?... Roll with it. What did you expect when he bolted here? Just a coincidence? Ava lightly pushes her Ex-Mentor. "Then lead the way."
He looks up to her expecting eyes; he lets a sense of doubt shine for a second before looking ahead with wavering determination. Keta takes a step on the molten rock and ash of the ground then begins to dash like an in pursuit Cheetah. His marching heart getting back into a long forsaken rhythm as Aelita's life plays on his mind; every good memory of her is followed by scenes of his family both in life and death. The bright memories are cut by the haughty voice of a woman wearing a layered reddish-violet clothes under a gray, keyhole-styled dress.
"Took you two long enough!" The woman's bright red outward-swooping pigtails bounce with her haughty cackling. "But now that you're here." Her slender fingers grip the back of Aelita's collar. "The show can finally begin!"
Aelita winces as the woman tugs on her gi. "Is everything a game to you?"
"Yes. You should-"
"Let her go, Medalis! Aelita had nothing to do with this." The father barks at the winch who took his daughter.
Her scarlet eyes gleam with innocence laced with malicious intent. "Maybe half an hour ago that would be true but now she's a collateral playing piece like all us Xen members" Her sickening cackle echoes in the black tilled room; its underlying pain complements the maroon decor.
The father's eyes sink; And Ava looks at Keta "I know I'm not Xen; and Aelita don't look the part KETA!"
Madelis laughs at Ava. "Oopsies… I guess that little secret slip. Oh well." Madelis tosses Aelita off her throne's arm rest and stops her by the collar on the edge. "Want to know why? It pertains to you~." She teasingly mocks.
Aelita's eyes look to Madelis as she leans away from her ear, a few seconds pass before realization sits in and a small strained -"no…" escapes her lips.
"You see, we needed a place to create shadow pokemon and a small village like this would be perfect!" The harbinger glares down at the traitor who looks to the side with an open fist to his side. "And lucky we didn't have to fight for it, for the small price of everyone but your life we can do our experiments in peace."
"N-no! No! He wouldn't have-..." Aelita stops dead in her trembling disbelief as Keta doesn't bother to look up or speak.
Madelis smile sadistically. "Guess you don't know your own father." She lets go of Aelita letting her fall from the story high podium.
"Aelita!" Keta and Ava shout, both moving to catch her but she falls and collapses on the ground. She looks up to the two dim, lost eyes.
"I only let her go~." Madelis looks down on the worried father figure. "Keta did the rest. Now if you'd like to get on with the show, I'd recommend following me!" The home wrecker leaves her throne, mumbling. "I wonder if your folly is as plentiful as my jolly…"
Keta rushes to Aelita with his hands ready to help if needed. "Are you ok?"
Aelita looks down before getting up and looking at the staircase. "I-... I don't want to talk with you right now…" She looks at her own hands. "My feelings towards you are heavily confusing right now…" Her usually warm and confident boom is now a hushed confusing murmur.
The father figure absorbs the words with a right helping of salt. "I don't expect you to-"
"No matter the reason you are NOT RIGHT!"
I'mma stay out of this one. The last girl I helped through daddy issues almost died.
A gulp escapes Keta's throat. "You're right, no reason would. I have sins that weigh my soul with chains of people's pain I inflicted, but right here and now I want to make it right before the ties of time tear." Ava looks at her ex-mentor and recognises the expression; she's felt it in a cave, she's seen it in the ocean.
Aelita sighs heavily. "I know. I will always know… But the fact that you almost followed through…" She scratches her neck.
Ava lets out an exaggerated breath. "Phew! Look as beautiful as this is, the heat's starting to get to me and I know Xen always has some bull shit under their sleeve so can we deal with that before I fall out?"