Music: Nowt - Feeling the Cold Breeze

Adrian woke up in the living room. Looking out the window, he saw it was still nighttime. Last he remembered, he was fighting a ditto. His team must’ve finished the job while he was out. The thief wouldn’t have dragged him home.

Adrian’s ears perked up. He could hear someone walking down the stairs. He lowered his ears and watched the hallway as a light slowly extended past it. Rose passed by the doorway, holding a lantern with a candle inside of it. She opened up the front door and left.

It was either late at night or very early in the morning. Strange hours to be awake for most people. Adrian looked out the window to see where she was going. There was a treeline off in the distance she was going in the direction of. Adrian decided to follow her.

The moon was waning, so it was hard to see without the light. He was able to avoid being seen or heard relatively easily. Rose continued to walk through the prairie and eventually into the treeline north of her house. She continued into the woods for a few more minutes on a hidden trail before eventually veering off and entering a small clearing in the trees. 

Adrian crept up to the opening she went through and saw her crouched down in front of a tree. She was lighting candles on both sides of the tree. After that, she pulled something from her leafy dress and hung it above her from a branch. When Adrian focused his eyes on it, he saw two necklaces. One silver and one gold, seemingly made to complement each other. She then kneeled in front of something and clasped her hands together.

Adrian moved closer to see what she was kneeling over. One paw in front of the other, he carefully moved up behind her and looked down. At the base of the tree was a badge. Seemingly one of Wigglytuff’s guild. Gold rank.

Suddenly, Rose turned around. She jumped at the sight of Adrian standing so close behind her.

“Wh-what are you doing out here?” She asked. “Why were you following me?”

“The sun hasn’t even risen,” Adrian said.

“Y-yes. It hasn’t. Why are you up this early?”

“I could ask the same thing, but I already know the answer.” Adrian said as he took a step back and sat down in front of her.

Rose looked nervous. “All this? It’s just-”

“Yours and your husband’s necklace, in the middle of nowhere, hanging from a tree branch.”

“Yes… I just come out here to pray that he’ll return eventually,” she explained. “You really shouldn’t be here; it’s not right.”

“He’s missing, right?” Adrian asked.

“Yes?”

“He left you his necklace?”

“Yes, he did.”

“And the badge?”

“He left it here, too.”

“Wrong,” Adrian said. “Explorers are required to wear badges while they’re on duty so people know they’re licensed and so they can be identified.”

“Well… yes,” she admitted.

“So where’d you get the badge?”

She got fidgety and quiet, trying to come up with an explanation, so Adrian asked again. “Where did the badge come from, Rose?”

She sighed. “The federation sent it back when they found him and his teammates.”

“He was never missing, was he?”

Rose’s eyes started to tear up. Her silence said it all.

Adrian took a deep breath and examined the area closer. There were markings on the tree in the native script. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d been able to understand this script since he arrived. The words on the tree were ceremonial, referring to the spirits and wishing peace upon the dead. This part of the woods was a memorial.

Rose turned back around to the tree. “I come here every week, and I listen. I don’t know if you’re spiritual at all, but I feel his presence here. I know he’s watching over me and my kids. I just want him to know we haven’t forgotten him.”

“But Vileplume and Bellossom don’t know about this,” Adrian said.

Rose’s voice started to crack. “I couldn’t tell them. They were so young. Vileplume was only four years old, and Bellossom was only a couple days. She couldn’t even speak. When the federation came to tell us, I just told Viley they’d said he was still working. That he’d be gone a little longer than expected.”

That explanation angered Adrian and slipped into his tone. “They’ve lived their whole lives without knowing what happened to him. He’s half the reason they’re on my team. Half the reason they’re explorers to begin with.”

“I know, but what am I supposed to do now?” She cried. “They’ve lived their whole lives without knowing the truth. If I told them now... just how could I do it? Adrian’s your name, isn’t it?”

He nodded.

“How could you tell them, Adrian? That they’ve lost their own father at such a young age. That you lied to them when they were older? How could you ever do that to them? You’d be telling them everything they knew about their father was a lie. Do you have any idea how they’d feel?”

Adrian lowered his head. “I know exactly how they’d feel,” he grumbled.

“That’s why I can’t do it! They’ve built their whole lives around his legacy. It would ruin them!”

Adrian was conflicted. Part of him knew it was wrong. They deserved the truth, yes. It wasn’t his place to tell them, though. Besides, they were living pretty happily knowing their father was still out there. Part of him wished he was as unaware as they were. Their relative innocence was a gift. It made Adrian wonder.

He kept his head lowered, not wanting to make eye contact, as he asked her, “Do you miss them? Your kids, I mean.”

Rose nodded. “I wish they would just stay here. It’s been so hard living without them. On top of that, I worry every day I’ll see those men from the federation again. I don’t want any more badges in my home.”

“So why did you let them go?” He asked.

Rose turned back towards him. The tears on her face were slowly drying. “It’s what they want to do. I couldn’t keep them here forever. Besides, their father’s so happy to see how they’ve grown. I know he is because I am. I feel what he feels every time I come here. They’re… brave. They’re sweet. They’re caring people. As much as I miss them, I know the world’s a better place with them out there.”

“I see…”

Rose stepped closer to Adrian and locked eyes with him. “Keep them safe.”

“I’ll… I’ll do what I can,” Adrian said.

“Please!” She pleaded. “If anything ever happened to them, I couldn’t live with it. They’re all I have left in this world.”

Adrian nodded firmly. “I understand. My team’s the only thing I’ve ever had here. I need them, too.”

The mother sighed in relief. As she did, light started to shine through the cracks in the trees. The sun was beginning to rise. As they looked through the leaves together, they felt a warmth fill the air around them. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of them, and they were able to breathe freely. 

Rose looked over to Adrian. “I should probably start breakfast. Do you have any preferences?”