gratitude

[the_very_best]

Bella flies away. She visits her parents, hits up the guild for matches and wins enough to pay her guild dues, and tools around random wilderness beating up on the wildlife.

She doesn't really expect to hear from Sherlock and Tony again.

Comments

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock calls her exactly one month after she left.

[the_very_best]

Bella answers. "Hey, Sherlock, what's up?"

[bitofafiction]

"Nothing in particular. How goes your quest?"

[the_very_best]

"Not that well. Found a cryptozoological association that claims to have spotted Mew, concluded they're crackpots but only after getting suckered into reading a fair amount of their literature, that sort of thing. How've you been?"

[bitofafiction]

"Fruitless literature. What horror," he says dryly. "I have been - living. You remain the most exciting thing that has happened here all year."

[the_very_best]

"Well, that sounds dull, you want me to swing by again while I'm trying to think of other leads to grab? I can't promise I'll be as fascinating on a repeat visit."

[bitofafiction]

"We will appreciate it nonetheless."

[the_very_best]

"Sure. Might take me a day or two if I take a guild chapter route instead of a straight shot, but I'd be happy to visit again."

[bitofafiction]

"I look forward to it."

[the_very_best]

"Any particular reason you called today instead of last week or next week?" Bella asks, starting to roll up clothes and stuff them into her backpack.

[bitofafiction]

"It has been exactly a month. I like to be exact."

[the_very_best]

Bella giggles. "How're your 'mon doing? Does Irene like being able to fly?"

[bitofafiction]

"Irene is continually delighted."

[the_very_best]

"Are the others jealous?" asks Bella innocently. "Well, I suppose only the Zebstrika - sorry, I forgot its name - would have to be."

[bitofafiction]

"Watson," he supplies. "He considers himself above that sort of thing."

[the_very_best]

"Not, I hope, literally. You did say you were blessed with clever Pokémon."

[bitofafiction]

"I mean to say that he is not in the habit of letting Irene's excessive smugness damage his composure."

[the_very_best]

"I figured. Bad joke," laughs Bella.

[bitofafiction]

"So I observe."

[the_very_best]

"Pfft. They can't all be gems." She zips up her backpack and swings it onto her back.

[bitofafiction]

"I acknowledge the point."

[the_very_best]

"We should all three of us race once I get there," opines Bella. "Flying, I mean, although if we wanted to do a landrace I could loan Branch to Tony since if I remember right he doesn't have anything appropriately quadrupedal."

[bitofafiction]

"I think that would be lovely."

[the_very_best]

"And of course the fact that I'd loan Branch and not Fireflower has nothing to do with the fact that I know she's faster and everything to do with the fact that she doesn't know him well enough to decline to burn him," snickers Bella.

[bitofafiction]

"If you put it like that, Tony will regard it as a challenge."