Second Chances

Chapter V - Tomorrow

It was too cold for him to be waiting for this long. Where the hell was she? Amber was supposed to meet him here ten minutes ago, as they'd planned yesterday.  It wasn't because she was still frightened of this bridge – they both visited here all the time. She was late because of something else. Was something holding her up? Did he have to get up and go look for her?

A swift breeze blew over the bridge, throwing Jason's already messy fur into greater disarray. The cold November wind chilled his bones — he brought his paws tighter against his body and wrapped his tail around them. His new dark coat didn't do much to alleviate the chill, but at least he could keep his paws from freezing off. His spot on the cobble path was warm from his prolonged session of meditation, which he had expected to be interrupted by Amber. Jason's new evening routine had included a half hour on the bridge for the past few months, but the temperature was dipping too low for this. He would at least have to let his fur grow out, which would likely involve arduous convincing of the freak of nature that Miranda was. The Sylveon kept his fur in check, and practically dragged Jason away to that Arceus-forsaken salon whenever she saw it so much as ruffled. Jay had long figured out that it was less her caring about him and more her being a fanatic, but it was free service, so he couldn't complain. Miranda had gone hyper when she found out Jason evolved — she went on about how "perfect" his fur was, and rambled about how she had never seen a purebred Umbreon in person. Jason didn't quite understand what was suddenly so special about him, but he accepted the help with his acquired dense pelt. It was quite the adjustment, but Jason got used to it eventually. Amber still gave him weird looks, though... she glanced at him from time to time, and looked away instantly when any acknowledgement arose from Jay. He didn't know what her deal was. Ever since he evolved, months ago, Amber had acted strange around him. The Leafeon's behavior was marked by uncharacteristic ambivalence. As far as he could tell, she seemed a bit uncomfortable. Oddly enough, she also seemed to stick to him like glue. What was going on with her was anyone's guess.

In his peripheral vision, Jason glimpsed an orange speck approaching from the right. He turned to face Amber, who was hurrying as fast as she could without running.

"Amber! Hurry up, I'm freezing my paws off over here!" he shouted, giving her the blunt end of his frustration with his tone.

"Sorry!" Amber replied as she came into earshot, "I was on the phone with Miranda. She loves to talk," stating the obvious.

Jason stood up as the Leafeon approached, and hastily whisked his tail between his legs to shield himself from the cold. He looked directly at her, and she shied away from his gaze. It was a miniature test that Jay wanted to use, and it solidified his theory that he himself was directly associated with her discomfort.

"What on earth were you two talking about that took that long? You were chatting with her since before I left," Jason asked casually, setting his thoughts aside for the time being.

"Oh, uh... I don't really remember, to be honest..."

Jason could sense a blatant lie, but let it slide. He wasn't keen on gossip, and it wasn't worth the effort to delve into the endless chatter of teenage women. There was too much on his mind regardless.

"Anyways. You ready now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why are you taking me out now though? Why not tomorrow, on our way through here?"

"Because, I'd rather not have your parents snooping in my stuff, no offense."

"Your... stuff? What?"

           "You'll see. Come on."

Jason turned and walked off briskly, fast enough to keep the chill at bay. He turned his head to make sure Amber was following, and veered off to the right to head a short distance into the thicket of trees that fringed the town along the carving path of the ravine. The river rushed down below, unhindered as of yet by the growing cold, heading southward towards the eventual open ocean. The Carvanha that had taken residence there had fled away from the cold, preferring the milder waters of spring and summer that more suited a Hoenn-native species. It created an interesting dynamic between them and the local Basculin population; the Basculin, red- and blue-striped alike, were intensely hostile and territorial. After the Marill population had been devoured, a three-way fishious rivalry emerged, but the unfortunate striped fish were not quite a match for the droves of Carvanha that would swarm them by the dozens. The Carvanha would appear in mid-spring and prey on the tragically nutritious Basculin, which would swim north until the winter, when they could safely return. Over the past few years a cyclical behavior emerged around that coincidental interchange, and undoubtedly there were researchers at the base of the granite-lined canyon researching the flux of Basculin bound for the waterways that veined the region. Really, the Basculin weren't much better. They were just as fierce; their only lacking was their infighting, as opposed to the Dark-types' group efforts. Basculin were a bit stronger individually.