Time passed. How much? I wasn't keeping track, but it must've been months. The once-warm weather had slowly begun to chill, bringing with it new hues to the plants. Something in me found all of this odd, as if I'd never known changes like this were possible.

I definitely liked the warmer weather better. The farmer's market on the south side of the city was always bustling, and though that meant there were more people about, that meant there was more produce for me to "peruse." Too bad other people had the same idea as me. Still, what I'd heard about the Tranquelum guards' ineffectiveness persisted, and I would get away.

But then the chill came. When it did, more people than normal began to watch over the stalls as well as the farms when I tried to turn my attention to them. And that sucked, because it seemed like there was a lot more crops being harvested.

In spite of weather's shifts and everything horrible I would encounter with the locals, I remained in Erinne. Why? Well, I felt I had no choice. These were the last-known whereabouts of the purple-eyed man, so I couldn't afford to leave.

Also, ships came in and out on a near-weekly basis. Besides the market, I had new opportunities to try and help myself to some of the cargo. The city was big, so I could easily make myself scarce if needed, which I had to do on a near-daily basis. I spent these months running, whether it be from other people or chasing leads of men with purple eyes. Always running.

"It's about time we caught one of you Rattata!"

But it was a shame when I was caught before I could escape.

I glared at the man standing over me, trying not to sweat nervously as a cutlass was leveled straight at my face. My fingers clenched tighter around the wrapped package I held. Since the cargo bearing food had been too closely watched these past couple weeks, I hoped stealing and reselling whatever this was could get me some money. It was apparently from Verelum, so it had to be worth something.

"Now hand it over, or I won't have a problem cuttin' you down." With the blade still pointed at me, the man held out his other hand.

   There was no way I could weasel out of this one with words. I'd abandoned the innocent poor kid persona the moment I tried to fire off an Ice Shard when I was spotted, so acting as such while still coated in frost and icicles wouldn't work.

   "You got three seconds," the man said, starting to reach out towards me. I flinched back from the outstretching hand, a horrible shiver running down my spine. There was no way that I was going let him touch me. I gritted my teeth, my scowl deepening. I had to give it up. Everything in me tried to object the thought, but I knew I had to, because deep down I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I just couldn't.

"Fine." I threw the package to the ground as hard as I could, which cracked open like an egg upon impact. The man yelled out in anger as his attention was drawn to the smashed package of what seemed like tea leaves. The moment his eyes left me, Ice Shards burrowed deep into his leg.

Mist poured from me as I spoke my next spell, blanketing us and the surrounding area. Yet again I ran away, vanishing into the streets before the man's comrades even reached him.

Since I awoke in that unknown field, I'd gotten a bit better at running. In fact, I'd actually begun to gain a bit of muscle from it. But when the chill came and I was eating less as a result, that extra strength withered away. Still, even now I could get myself a half-decent distance before I swore I was tasting blood in the back of my throat.

I slowed my pace to a walk, refusing to stop even though exhaustion and lightheadedness fogged my mind. But after another minute, I knew I had to sit down. I nearly collapsed against the nearest wall, resting my head in my hand and swallowing hard as nausea swam through me. It seemed that I pushed myself too much this time.

I eventually regained my composure, the dizziness lessening enough for me to move a bit without feeling like I wanted to retch. Now there was the usual matter of my injuries that I had to tend to. After trying to wash off the blood with some water, I rewrapped the makeshift bandages I'd made around my arms and neck, quickly refreshing the stains on them. I stole clothes from lines whenever I could, tearing them up and using them to patch my always-bleeding wounds.

To others, I was sure I looked like a complete mess. Bloodied cloth around my arms and neck, dirt smudging my face and hands, my now past shoulder-length hair always tangled and matted even when tied up into a Ponyta-tail. The muddied irrigation streams running alongside the farms outside of the city, barrels filled with collected rainwater, and canteen water could only do so much for cleanliness.

I ran a hand through my bangs, sighing. With today's failure, I'd have to stay away from the docks until that ship left town. That had been way too close of a call. And with the marketplace soon closing for the day, it seemed I would be going another day without eating.

Of course my stomach protested at that thought, and I clutched a hand to it when a cramp stabbed into me, clenching my teeth against the pain. It was two days now, I guessed. Three when today was over. Water was never an issue due to the public wells, but of course food was another matter, it always was.

   I didn't think being hungry could be so painful, though I'd found out all-too-quickly that it was. Unrelenting, biting when it wasn't gnawing, a sort of haze in my mind that begged me to just eat something, anything. But I'd learned my lesson from doing that when I dared to take something from a trash bin that wasn't "fresh," and I was horribly sick for days afterwards. I could sum the whole experience up in one word, and that would be "disgusting."

   I honestly found it more strange when the pain wasn't there than when it was. Maybe I would've grown used to it if I wasn't always lightheaded or nauseous to some degree, or if I knew that I was losing more weight than I could ever hope to gain at this point. But those things were happening, and they scared me. At this rate, I'd starve before I found the purple-eyed man.

Maybe I can try the bakeries again? I wondered. I knew I wouldn't get anything. Wild Pokémon or other street Rattata like me always seemed to snatch everything up before I could. But I might as well try again. Even a singed roll would be great. My mouth began watering when I reminisced about the goods I'd snagged in Lainsel, and I shut my mouth tightly before I could start drooling. Things really were shitty if I was thinking fondly of something that had been more char than bread.

Like usual, I took the alleyways so I wouldn't have to deal with as many people. I knew the map of alleys mostly well, and definitely the ones that would bring me around to the cargo yard and marketplace. One of Erinne's bakeries was close to the marketplace, so my route naturally took me past it.

I was close to one of my destinations when an abrupt pitter-patter of light footfalls from beside me made me pause. I looked just in time to see a blur of silver and white plow into me, knocking me down onto my side and sending a jolt of pain through me.

"Wh-what the hell?" I choked out, pushing myself up onto my elbows. My nose wrinkled when I recognized a familiar but baffling scent. Flowers, specifically the flowers of Razz berry plants. My eyes widened when they met a pair of even larger silver eyes, pupils restricted to pinpricks with fear. I was staring at a boy, looking no older than eleven. I was surprised to see a Pokémon clinging to his shoulder, a Dedenne by the looks of it. But that wasn't what really surprised me.

The boy's hair was comprised of layered white flower petals—Razz berry blooms—that cascaded down to his chin. His skin was a pale silver, like the silver of a Razz plant's stem. Silvery-blue leaves of varying shapes and sizes had seemingly emerged from his skin and covered most of his body, obscuring any clothing he might have been wearing. He was a pretty interesting sight to behold, especially since I'd never seen a Grass magician before.

"Don't hurt me!" the boy yelped, backing away. His face was twisted in an awkward combination of anger and fear, one clearly winning out over the other. The Dedenne squeaked angrily as static flew from their whiskers. They clung to their partner's shoulder with protective ferocity, seemingly trying to kill me with their stare.

Then before my eyes, the boy's hair began to shed the petals, slightly curly ash-blonde hair emerging from under it. The plants covering his body shriveled up and fell away to reveal a dirt-smudged and ripped deep green shirt and brown pants, and the silver hue in his skin faded to an almost-white paleness. All that remained of his previous form was a thin, almost nonexistent red scar in a ring around his neck where the leaves had emerged.

I didn't do anything, merely continuing to stare at him. I wasn't even sure of what I should do. Echoes of shouts bounced down the corridor of stone, and the boy somehow grew even paler than he already was.

"Just let me go! I don't wanna be caught!" he begged.

I finally found my words. "What'd you..?" I looked down to see a good five or six apples and pears laying about on the ground. He must've stolen them from the marketplace. Even smudged with dirt and grime from the ground, they looked amazing. Their ripeness was near-perfect with their rich colors, and besides the smudging, not a bruise or a dent adorned them. My stomach almost seemed to let out a wail as my mouth again flooded with saliva. I was just so damn hungry. It'd be so easy to take these for myself...

The boy saw the look on my face, because his pleas grew more desperate. "No, don't you dare take anything!" he whimpered. "I'll do anything, just let me have these!"

But I couldn't afford do that, and my gut more than happily agreed. I had to eat too! I looked back at him, only for my heart to stagger when I saw the hollowness in his face, his large but sunken eyes staring at me. He was in an even worse state than I was. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't condemn this kid to death. I sighed, spitting out a curse under my breath. I was going to regret this, wasn't I?

I began scooping up the dropped fruits and stuffing them in my satchel, since nobody would see them that way. The Dedenne didn't seem to like that, and they fired off a jolt of electricity that struck my hand and made me drop the fruit I'd grabbed.

"Stop that! I'm not taking any, I'm just helping you carry 'em," I hissed before the Dedenne could attack again. "I'm really not gonna take anything. I promise." I flashed them both an earnest look, and after a moment of hesitation, the boy's expression solidified.

"I-it's fine, Dew. You don't have to attack him," he said. With reluctance the mouse backed off, scampering back to their previous perch on the boy's shoulder. I nodded gratefully and finished gathering up the dropped fruit.

"Come on." I quickly held out a hand, and the boy took it so I could pull him to his feet. We then ran, heading northwards.

It didn't take long for the kid to tire. But by then, we'd made it across the central street of the city and into what was considered the northern, residential side of Erinne, so hopefully we were far enough away.

I stood doubled over, heaving as I tried to get my breath back. The kid had fallen to the ground from exhaustion, and his Dedenne was at his side fussing over him.

For minutes on end we were silent except for our gasps and wheezes. I was the one to recover first, and when I did I started digging in my bag. "Here." I handed over the fruits, and he quickly took them. But when I tried giving him the last two, he refused.

"You can have those," he said.

My eyebrows rose. "You sure?" I asked, courtesy overcoming hunger in that moment.

The boy nodded. "I-I'm sure. You saved me back there. Also, I could hear your stomach growling before, so I know you're as hungry as me," he said with a small snicker. My face heated up with a foreign feeling of embarrassment.

"Th-thanks," I said earnestly. Everything in me begged to just scarf the fruit down, but the shred of common sense I had left then told me to take it slow. And I was thankful for that shred, because my stomach instantly tried to reject that first bite, though I made sure it stayed down. I would have to say, an apple had never tasted so good until then.

"Um, can I eat here with you?" the boy asked. "My legs are still kinda shaky, so..."

I shrugged. "I don't care. It's not like I own this alleyway."

He nodded, squirming a bit in place as if trying to make himself more comfortable. "So what's your name?" the boy asked. "Mine's Kari, and this is my partner." He poked the cheek of the Dedenne, who stopped munching on their pear chunk to look at him. "Her name's Dew," he said. The Dedenne responded with a wary squeak and a flick of her tail before going right back to eating.

I spoke before I considered any repercussions. "I'm Loto." Kari's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at that. "What's with the look?" I asked.

Kari shook his head. "Sorry, it's just that I've never heard a name like that before. Are you from Tranquelum?"

"Why do you care?" I said coldly. The Dedenne hissed at me, and the boy looked startled but didn't shy away.

"I was just wondering. But it's nice to meet you, Loto," Kari said, smiling.

"Ditto," I replied with a nod. I waited for Kari to continue pressing, and to my relief he didn't. We sat in silence for a bit. I had to admit it was awkward, but it was probably because I hadn't been willingly near someone like this in such a long time. Eventually, Kari spoke up again.

"Um, can I ask why you helped me?" he asked.

I stopped eating, meeting his gaze. "People like us, we have to look out for each other, right?"

The boy tilted his head. "'People like us'?" he echoed.

I figured there was no harm in telling him. If things went south, I could probably outrun both him and the Dedenne. "We share something besides being street Rattata. I'm a magician too."

Kari's eyebrows rose. "Really? What type?"

"Ice," I said through a mouthful of apple.

"Wow." Kari looked at the ground, astonishment still clear on his face. "I've never seen an Ice magician before. I heard they're rare."

"So I've heard," I said, taking another bite. "I'm surprised you're not more scared of me. Ice over Grass and all that." Magician instincts were powerful things.

"I am a bit scared, but I'm still too tired to move," he said with a weak laugh. "I actually thought you had an enchanted weapon before, and I was more afraid then. But I guess not every magician's spells have practical uses."

I shivered when he brought up the term enchanted weapon. I'd found out about the things a few weeks after my encounter with the eye-patched man. They were the closest things to magician spells a non-magician could use, being standard weapons that were crafted by especially skilled magicians and enchanted with the magic of their type. They were very dangerous, and very illegal. In hindsight, I'd come to the conclusion that the reason why that pirate had one was because his crew had stolen it. At least with the weapons being under such tight lock and key, my chances of coming across another one were even slimmer than I was.

I thought Kari would have switched to some other topic or went silent, but he again surprised me with what he said next. "I'm just wondering, but can I see your magician form?"

I stopped dead, not sure if I heard him right. "What?"

Kari's eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry!" he apologized. "It's just that, um, I was curious. A-and since you've been so nice to me, I dunno... I guess I got a little excited."

'Been so nice?' I wasn't exactly the nicest person around, considering my previous responses. But I thought what I was doing was just sort of common courtesy, or at least it should've been. "I... guess I wouldn't mind transforming. I don't like to do it more than once every day or two though." I unwrapped the makeshift bandages from one of my arms and showed Kari before I could question if that was a good idea. He actually didn't seem disgusted, which surprised me.

Kari's face fell at the sorry state of my arm. "Does it hurt?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"I've gotten used to it," I muttered. "It's either fill my arms and neck with holes or die, so I'd rather be a reverse pincushion."

Kari frowned. "I could help you with that," he said. A moment later, thin stems began to sprout from his scalp, which instantly burst into bloom with Razz flowers. Long, silver-blue leaves forced themselves from his skin to cover his body like they had before. "R-Radix Salutem," he said in a trembling voice.

   Roots joined the leaves, shooting down to the ground and burrowing into the cracks between the stones. Green light then began rising up through the roots in bubbles, which flowed into his body. He raised a hand to wipe away the beads of blood from around his neck, and no more formed to take their place. It looked like the slits had healed.

"Sorry, I'm used to healing myself first," he said. "Now gimme your arm." He had an authoritative glint in his eyes, odd-looking compared to his previous soft expressions. I hesitated, almost glaring at his hand. But after a moment, I relented and extended my left arm to him.

Kari took hold of my arm, and the green light trickled from his fingers into my skin, rippling out like a stone that had disturbed the surface of a pond. I inhaled sharply as my wounds flared with sharp stabs that burrowed deep into me. I couldn't help but squirm in discomfort with each strike, biting my tongue to stifle a few cries and whimpers. After a few minutes, the pain faded, and I looked at my arm. I was shocked by how well that spell had worked. Yeah, my injuries weren't healed all the way, but the smaller punctures were gone while the larger ones had somehow scabbed over.

Once he finished healing my other arm and neck, Kari reverted back to his human form and leaned against the wall, seemingly tired again. Dew scurried up to his shoulder, patting his cheek as if praising him. Kari smiled faintly and scratched the mouse behind the ear.

"You feelin' okay?" I asked.

Kari nodded. "That spell... kinda tires me out when I'm done," he said with an exhale.

"Thanks, but you just wasted your time and energy. End of the day tomorrow those wounds'll be back." And at least ripping scabs was less painful than ripping intact skin. Kari's face fell, his lips pursing. Dew growled at me, and Kari silenced her.

"No, he's right," he muttered.

A pang of guilt stabbed into me. "B-but thanks, still. It was thoughtful of you," I quickly said. Kari's face brightened.

"You're welcome," he said, relief in his voice. He forced himself to his feet, a hand against the wall for support. "I should probably go. It was nice meeting you, Loto, and good luck out there!"

I gave him a wave. "Yeah, you too. See ya." With that, we parted ways. He headed east while I went west. My usual sleeping spot was on the west edge of town, where there were slightly less people than in the other parts of the city.

For some reason, I couldn't get Kari out of my mind. Yeah, I'd chatted with a couple people who didn't try to rob or kill me, but those had just been for a minute or two at most. Kari had actually tried to talk with me. And it was weird.

It'd made me feel a little less alone.

I awoke early the next morning. As I waited to fully wake up, I stared up at the sky. The rising sun painted the blue-gray sky with streaks of pink. Though I would've liked to sleep longer, it was probably for the best that I get moving now. Time to go looking for any leads... if there even were any. I stood, leaving my hiding spot to make my rounds around the city.

One thing that I noticed right away when approaching the main street was the amount of guards about. Maybe I'd see one or two throughout the day, sometimes even three. But now I was seeing a lot more. I found myself unintentionally narrowing my eyes in confusion. What's going on? Whatever it was, it made me stick closer to the alleys than I usually did.

The guards grew in number in the city's south side, and I found that I couldn't even go near the marketplace, as guards were stationed by the alleyways. Then the answer finally came to me. Kari must've shaken things up enough for the guards to actually try and be useful for once.

But now with the marketplace being so closely watched, I grew worried that asking around would garner the wrong attention, not to mention that I wouldn't have any chance of trying to take any of the produce for myself. With both the marketplace and the cargo yard out of the question, I'd have to resort to the usual fruitless haunts.

Needless to say, expletives comprised most of my thoughts that afternoon.

Come late afternoon, early evening, I found myself walking the streets of the north side of the city. I'd accomplished nothing today, and the other apple Kari had given me would only last tonight.

With how today turned out, a worry that had been nesting in me for weeks now began to stir. The days had only grown colder with no signs of that amazing heat returning. How long would it take until the warmth came back? Or was it just going to keep getting colder? I'd given up asking for leads about the purple-eyed man halfway through the day, I was that concerned.

What if you don't find him again? What then? A deep, sickening fear seized me. What if—I cut the thought off before it could continue. I refused to consider it, and I forced my thoughts elsewhere. Hopefully my spot's open again tonight...

Yeah, others had seen my spot and taken it for themselves, making me find someplace else to sleep. I could always turn in early today in order to make sure I had it. Thinking that, I quickened my pace.

As I approached the street my spot was located off of, I picked up on a commotion of some sort. I could hear a person yelling, loud enough that I could hear them a street over.

I rounded a corner, about to turn onto a straightaway that would lead out onto the street, when I came across a familiar scene.

A young woman I'd never seen before was standing over someone huddled on the ground, holding some kind of pendant in her hand and tauntingly waving it next to her face. Her snarled brown hair was crudely chopped short, allowing me to see the sadistic pleasure in her magenta eyes, even from where I was. The person on the ground, however, was one I knew. Kari.

"Please don't take that, it's my treasure!" the boy demanded, trying to reach for the pendant. The girl stepped back when he tried to swing at her. Dew glared up at the girl, her tail swishing back and forth angrily as sparks flew from her whiskers. This seemed to be enough for the girl as she looked down, scowling.

"Stay out of this!" She aimed a sharp kick at the Dedenne, who was slammed into a wall. I could hear the pitiful squeak she made when she impacted the stone. Kari cried out and scrambled over to Dew. Red-hot anger flared within me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded, making my presence known.

Kari whirled around, his jaw dropping in surprise. "Loto!"

"What?" the girl looked up, locking her eyes with mine. She then smirked. I could instantly tell her type, flaunting physique over all else. What I wouldn't give to have a couple inches of her height... I hardened my expression as she stalked right up to me, shoving the pendant in her pocket and fearlessly returning my glare.

"You took somethin' from him. Give it back," I said coldly.

The girl looked amused. "What, you supposed to be his knight in shining armor? I'd be more afraid of a legless Lillipup," she said with a nasty grin.

"Are you tryin' to scare me? Because it isn't working," I said. The girl faltered, mild surprise fracturing her grin. "You get off on scaring people that're smaller than you or somethin'?" I deadpanned. "There's easier ways to get your kicks, y'know."

"You're one to talk, you little shit," she hissed. "Don't make me hurt you, because I could snap you like a twig."

I had a feeling she could. I knew I should've tried to take Kari and Dew and run then, or even a minute ago, screw the pendant. But nooo, even with nervous beads of sweat forming on my forehead, I just had to open my big mouth and keep talking. "Oh yeah?" I taunted.

Her hands clenched. "Yeah." I expected her fist to come flying at me, and I was able to sidestep the blow aimed at my face. But I didn't expect the second swing, and it caught me in the gut. Hard. I gagged and doubled over, only for my face to meet her knee as she slammed it upwards.

I barely heard the crunch as I crumpled to the ground, the blows knocking me almost senseless. My nose became choked with the hot, rank stench of blood as it trickled out and down my face in thin streams.

"No! Leave him alone!" I faintly heard Kari cry.

The girl glowered down at me. "All bark and no bite. You're cute," she snickered, yanking me up by my Ponyta-tail. I was seeing doubles, but I could still see the look of triumph on her face. "Looks like your nose isn't completely broken. Lemme fix that."

"Stop it!" A weight impacted the girl's back, making her drop me. Dazed, I propped myself up on my elbows, seeing the arms of Kari wrapped around the girl's hips as he tried to kick at the back of her knees. "You took my treasure already," Kari cried, "so just let him go and leave!"

"Is that really all you can do?" The girl easily knocked Kari away, flinging him to the ground. "I saw you in that magician form of yours earlier. Why don't you just kill me? Shouldn't be hard to end a 'normie' like me."

"I-I can't..." Kari choked.

It turned out I'd been wrong about when I'd get my wounds back. It would actually be today instead of tomorrow. I clambered to my hands and knees while frost covered me, raising my hand as I stifled my screams.

"Glacies Testa," I hissed. The girl turned around, eyes widening in shock at my ghoulish transformation. I still managed to keep an angered expression while staring at her, jagged shards of ice dancing at my fingertips. "Give him back what you took..." I said slowly. "Or I'll make you regret it."

She didn't move, and my wavering patience broke. In seconds her left arm and shoulder became decorated with glimmering white and oozing red, quickly followed by her leg. Her screams were sickening but satisfying at the same time.

"You damn brat!" the girl cried with obvious pain in her voice. She jammed her hand into her pocket and tore out the pendant, throwing it to the ground as she stood. "J-just take it!" She then ran—more like limped, actually—out of the alley.

With that over, my façade broke, and I hunched over. Shuddering breaths left me as my face twisted into the grimace I'd been fighting this whole time. I wanted to vomit, and I wasn't sure if it was from the gut-punch or how afraid I'd been. At least it was over.

"Loto, are you okay?" a small voice asked from beside me. I swallowed hard before looking up at Kari. His eyes were shimmering with tears, which he roughly wiped away, and he held Dew close to his chest. The mouse had started to stir back into consciousness, and when she saw me she let out a wary squeak.

"Y-yeah. It startled me more than anything," I lied. "Are you and Dew okay? It looked like she hit the wall pretty hard."

At that, Dew scrambled up to Kari's shoulder, squeaking confidently. "She acts tough, but I'm still gonna heal her," Kari weakly laughed. Dew frowned, squinting.

I wiped away some of the blood from under my nose, flinching when I got a stab of pain in return. I bit my lip before I could let a particularly nasty curse slip from me.

"Speaking of healing," Kari started, "it looks like you need some too. And I don't think it'll be a waste of time now."

"I agree with you there," I said.

Healing a fractured nose wasn't at all a pleasant feeling. I had to feel the cartilage snap itself back together, and afterwards I had to stop Kari from healing my lip as I'd torn into it to stifle a scream. I was more than happy when it was over. Kari had also healed up Dew and a few bruises he'd gotten himself. He was basically exhausted when he was finished.

"Thank you for doing that," I said.

"Thank... thank you for... saving us," Kari huffed. "Dew... isn't too strong because sh-she's so little," he ignored Dew's angry squeak, "and even though I'm... a magician... I-I don't know how to use any spells that well... besides Radix Salutem since th-that... was all I could learn from my sister before..." he trailed off for a moment before managing to say more quickly, "B-but yeah, Radix Salutem is all I really know."

"That's Ingrain, isn't it?" I said.

"M-hm." He nodded. Grass magicians had three spells at their disposal, which were Radix Salutem, Pollinis, and Vinea Flagello. Their corresponding Pokémon moves were Ingrain, Spore, and Vine Whip respectively. "But... a-at least with this I got to see your magician form," he said, brightening up again. "Th-that was... Ice Shard you used, right? It looked so cool!"

I looked at him. "Did you just..." He returned my gaze, grinning. So he intentionally said it like that. Why did I feel the urge to bury my face in my palm? I stifled a sigh. "Hey, did you pick up what that girl dropped?"

Kari nodded. "Of course... I did." He tugged at a string around his neck, fishing out the pendant that had been hiding in his tunic and holding the charm in his palm. "I-it got a bit chipped, but that's better than having it stolen."

The pendant itself was a pretty thing. A two-inch wide and long chunk of pink gemstone carved to look like a flower with a pair of green petals springing from beneath it hung from the leather cord. My jaw dropped when I noticed a golden glimmer making up the flower's stigma and style. "Is that real gold?" I asked.

"Y-yeah," he answered. "It's supposed to be a Gracidea... somethin' that had helped sailors or other back in the past. I don't know mythology that well. But they're supposed to be for good luck, I-I'm pretty sure."

I was flabbergasted. "Then why're you stealing from the marketplace? This thing could be worth hundreds of incos!"

He shrunk back a little. "I know, but even though I got it only a couple days ago, I love it to bits. I've never really had anything nice," he said. "A-and I really like jewelry." He gave me a sheepish smile.

I looked closer at it, admiring the intricate detailing on it. Whoever had crafted it must've spent hours doing so. But the longer I stared, the odder I felt. I... recognized it. Not just the flower, but the necklace itself. I'd seen it somewhere before. With that, my heart leapt with joy. I'd actually seen this before!

"You said you got this thing a day or two ago..." I glanced up at him. "Was it legally?" Kari stiffened, and upon sensing his partner's apprehension Dew got into an offensive stance. "Wait, let me explain!" I said quickly.

I took a breath, uneasy about sharing this. But it was either that or be attacked by an overprotective Electric-type mouse.

"The reason why I didn't tell you where I'm from is because I don't know where the hell that is. A while ago I woke up in some field by Lainsel with amnesia. I came to Erinne lookin' for someone I thought I knew, but I think he's long gone by now." I then pointed to the pendant. "But that, I recognize it. I've seen that exact pendant before. Can you please tell me where you got it?"

Kari looked at the pendant, brow furrowed. "I-I really hate stealing, but I did take it from somebody. A man. I was surprised he had something like this." His eyes began to slowly widen, as if he was realizing something. "That man looked sorta like you, actually. He had dark skin and purple eyes."

"Are you sure that was what he looked like?" I asked, excitement stirring in me.

"Yeah," Kari said with a confident nod. "I've never seen someone with purple eyes besides you or him. Maybe he's your father or something."

   "And it was that recently?" Yet another nod from Kari. I was glad I was sitting down then, because I was sure I would've collapsed from sheer bewilderment. Somehow, I'd gone all this time without running into him.

"He was looking at a map of Tranquelum. That's why I was able to take the pendant without him noticing," Kari said. "It had a bunch of villages and towns and stuff in the east and southeast parts of the Far Plains marked on it. Maybe those marked places are where he's going next?"

I took out the Tranquelum encyclopedia from my satchel. Its water and dirt-splotched appearance was a far cry from how it had looked when I'd "borrowed" it, but it was still plenty readable. "Remember any of the marked towns?" Kari pointed out about six, which included Lainsel. "I can't believe it. Finally, another lead..." I muttered out loud, amazed.

It was a long shot, one I probably wouldn't be able to make. But if I went to these other places, maybe I could find the man or some mentionings of him. I had a more concrete description of him now, so maybe, just maybe...

"Can I come with you?"

I was pulled right out of my thoughts. "What?" I blurted dumbly while Dew squeaked out what I thought was her version of the word.

Kari's expression was determined. "I'm asking if I can come with you. I've wanted to get outta this city since my sister died, but I had to stay here because as you could see, I'm not strong at all..." He looked away. "A-and besides Dew and my sister, you're the only person who has bothered trying to help or be nice to me."

I frowned, feeling sorry for the kid. Just how long had he been out here by himself? Was he really that desperate that he'd be willing to leave with a complete stranger?

"Also, I'm sure you want the pendant. But I don't wanna give it up!" His hands clenched as he looked back to me. "Me or Dew won't slow you down, I promise! Again, I can't really fight, but Dew can, and I can heal you whenever you need me to. If that isn't enough, I can kinda use Vinea Flagello, and I sorta know how survive out in the wild, and—"

"You don't have to say anything else," I interrupted, holding up my hands. "Because... I-I'd like the company." Why was it so hard to admit that? Kari's face lit up as I continued. "I'll try to keep you safe, but I can't guarantee anything."

Kari nodded. "That's fine. And I'll try to do as much as I can too. After all, people like us have to look out for each other, right?" He grinned, the expression warm and genuine.

I nodded. "Right."

Dew squeaked, swishing her tail about, clearly not happy with the situation.

"You gotta be nice now, Dew," Kari chastised. He tapped her on the nose. "And you're not as scary as you think."

I looked at Dew. "Oh, I think you're plenty scary," I said, trying to appease her. She gave me a smug little smile before leaping from Kari's shoulder onto mine. After some scampering around she found a spot on my left shoulder and laid down, digging her nails into my cloak in order to hold on.

"She's deemed you worthy," Kari said, feigning a reverent voice.

"Whatever you say," I said. I didn't know what to make of this. It still didn't seem real to me. Was I actually not going to be alone anymore?

From the looks of things, it seemed like it.