From the Vast

Chapter 28: Nightfall

The rest of Aria's scouting shift was uneventful. As far as she was concerned, it was the only blessing she'd be receiving today.

Tension gripped her body like a vise as she approached the village she called home, much of its tranquility undone by the anxious murk roiling around in her mind. It was the one place she felt truly safe in the entire world—it used to be that place, at least. Now, it felt just that bit more alien, just that bit more unwelcoming.

None of that was aimed at her, but that didn't make it any better.

As difficult as it was, as much as a part of her wanted to kidnap Anne from her bed and run away from it all in a doomed, erratic impulse to keep her safe, she knew she had to push on. Push on, talk with her, escort her over to the Elders' meeting,

And do her best to argue that Anne's inherent worth as a living being outweighed any security risks, real or imagined.

Her feet hovered half an inch above the snow as she glided through the increasingly vacant streets. In her mind, a constant refrain to keep breathing. Such a basic, downright trivial thing, and it still helped. Whether it would help enough remained to be seen.

The village being almost completely dark made it all even worse.

Too late for many day dwellers to still be around, too early for most of their nocturnal inhabitants to be awake. A limbo of dark silence and scattered lights peeking out of the closed burrows and huts. Would they extend their comfort to the little human that needed them the most?

Only one way to find out.

"Evening, Aria."

The Gardevoir felt her entire body jolt as it turned to face the voice before she could even think; the faint glow around her eyes soon dispelled at realizing who was calling at her.

"Good gods you're stressed, eh?"

"I... yes, yes I am, Geiger."

His smile wasn't a sight many were privy to, but his students, be they current or former, always got that privilege. As tense as the situation was, he didn't hesitate waving her over to the tea corner's doorway, the alluring scents coming from the inside encouraging her further.

The Magnemite she'd seen yesterday was still attached to his arm, asleep.

"I-I don't know if I have the time."

"One of those old coots is gonna be late anyway, don't worry about it Aria. Besides—you look like you'd use a heartwarming drink much more than any value anyone else might get out of getting it all wrapped up a few minutes sooner. Sounds like that whole vote is gonna go well into the night either way."

She didn't necessarily disagree with the Electivire, but it still felt... disrespectful. Then again, considering that several of the people she'd once respected felt it appropriate to disrespect Anne's personhood, she could repay them in kind, at least a bit.

"...Alright."

"There ya go."

With his once-student agreeing to a detour, Geiger thought it best to bring a drink to her instead of having her do it herself. Beyond his snark, she was right—the sooner she got there, the better. She wasn't gonna do any good in this anxious of a state, though, and a warm, sweet tea was one way he could help with that.

After finding her hands too shaky to hold the cup upright, the Gardevoir switched to telekinesis instead. Even her all-too-familiar white glow wasn't as stable as she wished it was, but it was thankfully enough to keep any tea from spilling.