Safe Haven

Overwhelmed

Reina climbed down the ladder from the entrance to the lower floor, the sound of the chattering of many Pokémon meeting her ears. She wasn't the biggest fan of the noise, to say the least.

She reached the floor and plopped down onto the ground. Turning around, her eyes met the Pokémon she was just hearing.

-

"I know it's hard to be around all those Pokémon at once, but it will do you good to meet your future coworkers, friends, or however you choose to refer to them."

-

Or that was what the ninetales, Charm, had said to her. She just wished she didn't have to endure this noise and socialization to fulfill the request.

Reina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, something her father had taught her to do at some point in time. It worked, even if just a little. It was times like these when Reina wished she could jump into her father's arms and escape all of this.

But that time wasn't now.

Reina opened her eyes and began to walk forward, the voices clouding her ears again. She caught the eye of a houndour and began to walk up to them, hoping they would be kind like Erin.

"Hello... I, uh-" she began to talk but was swiftly interrupted by another Pokémon.

"And I think she's just plain crazy. I mean the fox basically said what I was thinking, and I swear to god she's like, a mind reader, or something." The Pokémon said, and Reina grimaced.  Why were they talking about Charm like that? Like a topic of gossip?

The Pokemon in question had a light grey pelt and a spring-like tail with a white puff of fur on the end. Their paws were white, and they had dull purple eyes decorated with bright pink eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Their eyes seemed to stare into Reina's soul.

"What are you looking at, little freak?" They said, and suddenly both the glameow and houndour's eyes were on her. She felt queasy. She didn't know what to say, so she promptly decided to say nothing at all as she leaped away and kept walking--far away from them.

So much for meeting other Pokémon.

Reina kept walking, disturbed by the incident which just occurred. Apparently, she was just a 'little freak' to them. Gods, that was so embarrassing!

Looking up and trying to remain calm, Reina sat. She was in a corner of the room, far enough away from the other Pokémon that she could feel sane.

Were they gossiping about her now, too?

She wished she could stop thinking about this, it clouded her mind and took over her brain.  Her fur bristled with anger and anxiety, and her claws dug into the ground beneath her. She couldn't stand it.

Suddenly, Reina's mind wavered elsewhere. A patch of metallic silver and cream fur caught her eye. In the crowd, Haven stood. And for a brief second, Reina swore that their eyes met.

It was only for that second, however, because right after that she turned away and stalked off in the opposite direction.

Reina sighed, tired and unwilling to be present in her mind and the physical world at the moment. She stood up, placing weight on her tiptoes as she rose and scanned the crowd of Pokémon for a familiar face. It was then she spotted him.

Drowsily, Reina began to walk in his direction. She doesn't think she's said, "Excuse me" and "Sorry" this many times in her life. Soon enough, though, she was face to face with Erin. The fluffy eevee grinned at her, clearly in a much better mood than she was.

"What's up, Reina?" Erin asked, turning completely to her. She smiled, just a little--though her paws still fidgeted.

"I was wondering if we could talk..." Reina paused, looking around and shaking her head, "Somewhere more, quiet?" She said finally, feeling lightheaded from all the noise. She jumped as a Pokémon behind her brushed against her back, apologizing swiftly. She was too tired to say anything back.

"Of course! What about..." Erin paused, thinking of where to go.

"My dorm?" Reina suggested quickly, willing to go just about anywhere to get out of here. Erin gave an affirming nod.

"Lead the way." He said in a neutral, but kind voice.

-

"I'm sorry, I couldn't think out there," Reina began to explain. She and Erin were now sitting on her side of her dorm room. Reina specifically sat in her bed, looking at the picture frames that decorated the wall. They brought her a sense of calm. "It's way too loud. Pokémon were bumping into each other, yelling, making high-pitched noises, and..." she paused to breathe, "I just don't know how you do it." Reina said with an exhausted sigh. Erin simply nodded.

"My sister is the same way. I got my mom's genes I guess, cause I do just fine out there. She got my dad's, I suppose." He explained, trying to draw similarities between their lives. Reina smiled gratefully. She was glad she had a friend to rely on who cared for her struggles, even when they were so different.

"I must've gotten my dad's genes, too. He doesn't do well in loud spaces like me, but he's better off than I am," She explained, "Says I just need patience and time to get better, but I wish it could happen sooner." She said truthfully, revealing a lot of her feelings to Erin. He looked at her sympathetically, but not patronizingly so. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"You know..." Erin started, "I've never heard you talk so much!" He said excitedly. Reina blushed, feeling embarrassed at having talked so much. Erin saw this look and shook his head, still smiling.

"I mean it's a good thing! You're making progress, I've noticed." He explained with a sense of pride in his voice. Reina blushed again, but this time for a different reason.

"I-I suppose..." She replied bashfully. She felt the rubbing of her paw on her other front leg, seemingly to comfort herself. Had she always done that?

"Well, I for one am proud." He stated calmly with a grin. She smiled back lightly, an embarrassed and fluttering feeling whirling in her stomach. "How about we hang out here for a bit while we wait for everyone to settle down for the night?" He asked, settling down and laying his back against the wall before looking at Reina intently.

"Oh, sure! That'd be fun..." She replied excitedly. It really would be fun. Maybe she could show Erin the books she has?

"Alright! Let's do that, and later we can stop by dinner. I hear the food in the dining hall is pretty delicious..." He trailed off, and it's like they've been friends for so long. As if they hadn't just met today.

Reina feels at home.