Atticus was more than a little surprised to find himself in Zapapico. It was pretty late, so there was practically no one around, leaving the streets empty. That was probably a good thing considering Violet still wore her catsuit. Her secret would be out if someone saw her. Stopping at one of the many doors of the stone buildings, the girl looked back at him.

"Here we are. This is...my home."

Using the key tucked away in her suit's pocket, she unlocked the door and gestured for him to come in. Atticus stepped inside behind her, looking around at the simple little house while she shut the door. They were in a dark, cozy living room, and the kitchen was just to the left. A set of stairs led up to a second floor. On the right, there were two doors, one led to a bathroom, no doubt. The other was cracked open, and a pokemon suddenly appeared from inside and pushed it open further.

"Oink?"

Violet smiled, watching the female Oinkologne approach her. "It's just me. Don't worry." She leaned down to pet her head.

Oinkologne quietly slipped back into the mysterious room. Violet was quick to follow after the pokemon. Atticus was hesitant to go as well, feeling like it was almost forbidden for him to pry. But he needed to understand and Violet trusted him enough to bring him in the first place. When he moved closer and lightly pulled the door all the way open, he was met by a wondrous sight. Every inch of the walls were plastered with her colorful drawings. They ranged from pokemon swimming in the sea to flying types in the sky. It was such an artistic, eye-catching room that he almost didn't notice the person laying in the bed. A frail, elderly woman with short gray hair was resting peacefully.

"Grandma?" Violet softly called. The old woman slowly peeled her purple eyes open. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Her grandmother tiredly smiled. "It's alright, sweetie. I'm always happy to see you come home after a busy day at school. Gymnastics keeps you on your toes, huh?"

Violet nodded, going to her bedside. "Yeah. The gymnastics. It keeps me busy...but I love it." Her feigned enthusiasm didn't get by Atticus, and he drew attention to himself by moving closer. "Oh, right, I brought someone with me."

The old woman's expression brightened further, her weariness seemingly fading. "Oh, you must be Violet's boyfriend." The goth blushed at the assumption, but Atticus chuckled softly. "So nice to meet you. You can call me Ruth. Please, make yourself at home."

Atticus gave a polite bow. "Tis a pleasure, madam. I am Atticus, and I'm grateful for thy hospitality."

"What a well-mannered young man! Hang on to this one, Violet."

Violet was a blushing mess. "Grandma..." She cleared her throat. "Um, anyway, do you need anything while I'm here?"

Ruth shook her head, watching Oinkologne hop onto the bed to lay next to her. "I'm fine, Violet. I've got Oinkologne here with me."

Violet lightly grabbed her friend's arm. "Okay. I'll be in my room so just shout if you need something."

Just as she was dragging the ninja from the room, Ruth called, "Atticus, dear, feel free to have a snack or drink from the fridge if you want! And there are extra pillows and blankets in Violet's closet if you decide to sleep over!"

"I'd rather not impose, Madam Ruth, but you have my gratitude, nonetheless. I bid you a good night."

"Night, Grandma," Violet chimed in, nearly pushing Atticus to get him out of the room so she could shut the door. She sighed once it clicked shut. "Sorry, she's a talker."

Atticus chuckled. "I quite like her. Such a kind woman." His smile faded. "Your grandmother thinks you've been at school and in gymnastics. You haven't told her."

Violet gestured for him to follow and she went to the stairs to begin her ascent. "How could I? She's always been so proud and supportive. I don't have the heart to tell her how much of a failure I am."

"Thou are no such thing, Lady Violet."

"Oh yeah? If I was even half the amazing star she thought I was, I wouldn't be doing all this." At the top of the stairs was a single door that Violet opened for them to go in. It was her bedroom. Nearly all the furniture was black, just as the ninja would expect. "So, do you get it now? My grandmother is bedridden. I'm the only family she has left. It's my job to take care of her, and as you might expect, that requires money, especially for her medication."

Atticus gave a sorrowful nod. "Yes. While thy methods may be extreme, the cause you fight for is most noble. I still wish to know, if it isn't too sensitive a subject, how did things get like this?"

Violet quirked her brow. "Do you really wanna know? It's kind of a long story."

"Could you summarize it, at least?"

Tilting her head back, a sigh left the girl. "Fine. So to begin, my parents were miners here in Zapapico. An accident took their lives when I was still really young, so my grandmother took over raising me. She supported and believed in me when I wanted to enroll in the academy, and even urged me to pursue gymnastics. Everything was fine until around a year ago when her Parkinson's disease took a turn for the worst. I didn't have time for classes, and gymnastics wasn't earning me anything since I was practically invisible. Getting the money to pay for her care became my top priority." While her expression remained neutral, her fists clenched. "I couldn't let her down. She left her home in Cascarrafa to be here with me. She did everything she could to provide for me and get me into the academy to follow my dreams."

Atticus took hold of her hands, rubbing soothing patterns with his thumbs to ease her. "I see." His beautiful blue eyes stared straight into hers, revealing an understanding and fondness she hadn't seen before. "I'm terribly sorry that you had to endure all this pain and hardship alone. If I had known, I would've done something to aid you and your dear grandmother."

Violet's gaze darted down to where he held her hands before looking away. "Don't apologize. I'm used to doing things on my own. If anything, I'm just glad that...that you spoke to me that day. You were the first person to even really acknowledge my existence, and obviously my first real friend."

"Well then, as your friend, I shall take it upon myself to lend you my help."

Violet met his gaze again. "You don't have to. I can-"

"I want to," he interrupted. "I want you to cease these villainous acts and allow me to aid you. After all, that's what friends are for, my lady."

She could tell by his adamant expression that she couldn't refuse. "Alright. If you can somehow help me earn some money, then I'll stop stealing."

"Perfect! I don't know how I'll do it, but know that I will succeed in finding a solution. You have my word."

There was a pause, and Violet found her hands still within his grasp. Not that it bothered her. It was comforting and made her stomach feel like it was full of Vivillon. As much as she liked it, however, it was becoming a bit awkward.

"Atticus? Can I have my hands back now?"

"Why? Do you require them for something?"

That response caught her off guard. "N-no, but...I, uh..."

As if to really throw her for a loop, the ninja brought her hands up to plant a kiss atop one, then the other. "Then please allow me this simple pleasure."

The gesture made the girl's face light up. Unable to look him in the eye after that, she turned her head away, letting strands of hair help hide her blush. Atticus's grin widened, and he finally released her hands only to reach up, brushing those strands out of her face.

"There's no need to hide thy radiance from me, Lady Violet."

Violet squeezed her eyes shut and kept her head turned. She didn't know what had come over him. He'd always been chivalrous and flattered her, but he'd never been this forward before. "What's gotten into you?" she mumbled, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"I'll tell you, my dear lady. But first, I wish to see thy beautiful eyes." Slowly, she opened her eyes and faced him, immediately finding herself captivated by his piercing gaze. "You see, I've found you to be quite interesting from the moment we first spoke. You traversed the rough path fraught with thorns to reach this ninja, and in turn, earned my admiration."

"What...?" Violet was almost stunned into silence. He seriously just admitted to liking her. She thought her crush was purely one-sided because he'd never shown any type of interest in more than a friendly way. "Why didn't you...ever say anything before?"

Atticus crossed his arms, looking all cool like usual. "Ah, yes, the reason is simple. You had spoken numerous times of a person dear to you. You drew countless pictures for them, and even so much as confessed thy love over a phone call. As thou could imagine, I kept my distance in the case that you had a sweetheart. It would be ignoble for me to interfere in another's relationship."

Violet blinked several times, wanting to slap herself for giving him that big of a misunderstanding. "Well...my bad. I never meant to give you that impression."

Atticus responded with an amused chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Now imagine my reassurance when I find that the subject of thy love is your grandmother. Coming here lifted a weight off my chest, for it was she who you spoke so fondly to. It was she who you drew for so that she may see the wonders of Paldea that you experience every day." He smiled at her once more. "Now, my fair maiden, if you'll allow me, I shall properly court thee."

"That's...really not necessary," Violet said. It wasn't that she didn't want that, but the whole idea seemed a bit...archaic. "I like you, too. I have for a long time."

Her confession had him grinning from ear to ear. "Joyous day! It pleases mine heart to hear those words from you! But please, I insist. I will prove my affections to you and relieve you of your money troubles."

A smile of pure joy graced her lips. This boy was so considerate, so sweet. She didn't know what she did to deserve him. Moving closer, she threw her arms around his neck to hug him tight.

"Thank you, Atticus. And I promise to do better. I won't steal anymore. And I'll...learn to lean on you instead."

The ninja returned the hug, savoring the chance to hold her. "That's all I ask."

"The offer still stands," Violet said when they let go of each other. "You're welcome to sleep over if you want. It's pretty late."

"As much as I would like to, I'm afraid it would be improper. I haven't even begun the courtship. But perhaps at a later date...I'd be happy to take you up on the offer then."

"I'll be waiting for it." She followed him out and downstairs to the front door. "Oh, and Atticus..." The ninja turned his head with a hum for her to continue. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Atticus smiled. "Likewise, my lady. Until then, I bid you a hasta la vistar."

Violet couldn't help giggling slightly, and waved to him as he left. She watched him with adoration from the open door, unable to keep down the rising excitement. Once she closed the door, she pressed her back against it with a dreamy sigh. Atticus had a way of making her feel like a princess in a fairytale. And while she still had concerns about her money troubles, she didn't want to be a villain any longer, even if it was a bit on the fun side, and decided to have a little faith in him.