//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Midnight 
// Story: New World, New Bonds 
// by Rhino 
//------------------------------//

The black pegasus mare soars across the town, a smile on her face as she holds the Froakie in her forelegs. She makes a beeline straight for her house, a curious home built partially into a tree that was converted into just another section of the abode, including a cozy upper story in the trunk one wouldn't be wrong in calling a roost. Of course, as the home of a pegasus, a nice wide open window for landings is a must, something that she takes full advantage of as she swoops in and flutters to a landing.

She beams with pride as she flicks the window closed with a tail. "This is my place, little guy!" The curiously colored pony places him on her bed, smiling warmly. "If you'd like anything to be more comfortable, I'd be happy to give it to you!"

"A reason why I was grabbed might be nice..." he replies; of course, all the mare can hear him say is his name. Still, he presses into the soft bed as he looks around curiously before returning his eyes to the mare.

She squirms at the foot of the bed, uncertainty crossing her face. "Is... is that all you can say? ‘Froakie’?"

Sighing, he shakes his head, this one way communication barrier already annoying him. Taking a shot in the dark, he looks to her and pantomimes a writing gesture, tiling his hand in a questioning manner afterwards.

She furrows her brow a moment. "You... want a quill and parchment?" He nods, smiling at her and hopping once. The mare squees in delight at his reaction. "Of course, I'll get it for you right now!" She playfully boops where his nose once was, speaking with a sing-song tone. "Don't you go anywhere!"

Blinking, but unable to help a small smile as the mare leaves the room, Ryan thinks to himself. I feel like I should be more miffed about being treated like an adorable pet at my age... still, she’s nice. Large yellow eyes scan the room as he easily hops down to the floor, the way of getting around becoming a little less foreign to him. As he nears a tall dresser though, he realizes the change in perspective has not. I miss my height. Hmm, I wonder... Bouncing on his heels a bit, the frog crouches down before springing into the air and landing neatly on top of the furniture. His grin is wide as he turns and looks around the room now. Okay... that was cool!

The pegasus stumbles into the room soon after, panting softly. "So sorry! I ran out of quills and had to get a pencil!" She pulls it from under her wing and places it on the dresser, as well as a sheet of parchment. "So, why did you want these, cutie?"

He smiles back, taking the pencil in hand and being happily surprised that it still had the muscle memory of how to hold the writing utensil. Quickly, he writes two words before showing the parchment to her. 'To communicate.'

"You can write?" She scoops him up into a warm hug, happily nuzzling him. "That's fantastic! You're so smart to have learned how to do that!"

Tap. Tap. Tap. A firm sound comes from the window as something repeatedly and impatiently taps against the glass. Ryan doesn't even give it a look as he enjoys the cushion of his bubbles and the softness of the mare. The mare does much the same, humming softly in contentment.

Immediately after, there's a crash, and the blue dog-like creature lands on the bed, glass covering the floor from where he broke in. He groans softly, leg twitching in pain. "What's with... the Light Screen?"

With an alarmed croak, the Froakie holds onto the pegasus as he looks down at the Riolu. "Kid... you okay? Throwing yourself through a window is not the best idea..."

"What's a window?" He groans, sitting up and staring at the dumbstruck pony. "Is... is she alright?"

"She's probably stunned..." Ryan tries to wiggle out of her grip but fails. "And apparently very grippy."

A large sword floats up to the destroyed window, a look of bemusement somehow on his face despite lacking the features to express it. "I don't know what's more unbelievable: the fact that we have only been in this town for less than half an hour and already we've caused property damage, or the fact that it wasn't me who caused it."

The Riolu sits up, frowning softly at Casey. "But... it was your idea for me to jump up in here..."

The black mare slowly backs towards the door, whispering so the frog is the only one who can hear her. "Don't worry... I won't let them hurt you..."

"I only said we needed to get up here," Casey sighs. He turns to the mare, noticing her back away. "We're not here to harm you."

The frog turns to the sword. "Tell her to just stay calm, and that you were just worried."

Nodding with his body, the sword speaks again. "We only came here to make sure the frog was alright. You did sort of just... you know, kidnap him."

"Kidna-" The mare freezes, eyes shrinking to pinpricks as realization hits. "...oh." She looks down at him, nervously smiling. "You are friends with them? A talking blade and a," the pony glances at the scratched up Pokémon on her bed, "a diamond dog?"

Patting her reassuringly, Ryan tries to explain. "Well... I suppose we are friends, though fresh and new friends. Also," he turns to the Honedge, "I am not a kid."

Huffing a bit, Casey turns to the mare. "He says 'the talking blade is my benevolent and all-powerful master, and you will respect him.'"

The Froakie's eyes bug out as he sputters. "What?! That's not either of the things I said!"

The ebony mare takes notice of the Froakie's reaction and quirks an eyebrow at the sword. "I think he disagrees. Please don't upset the little guy."

Leaning against her appreciatively, the frog smiles smugly. "Heh."

The eye in the hilt rolls. "Fine. He said yes, we're friends, though I personally disagree at this point in time." The Honedge fixes his attention on the mare again. "While I myself have nothing against you keeping him away from me, it's unfortunately the best idea for us at the moment to stick together until we figure out how we got here. We're not exactly from around here, in case you couldn't tell."

The mare gives him a flat stare. "No, I see floating, talking swords around here all the time."

"You do?" The Riolu beams, looking up at his friend. "That's great! Maybe you can find a mate, Mister Casey!"

The blade glares at him. "You're not allowed to talk anymore."

Another smug grin comes to the frog's face. "Yes... have the genderless one find himself a mate."

Now Casey glares at the Water-type. "Excuse you, but considering the size of my blade, I think I can be classified as a male." He then looks to the mare. "I'm starting to think you should keep him. And the dog too."

She blinks at this, taking a moment to consider what he said. The pegasus nods after a bit, smiling warmly. "Why not? My house should be plenty roomy for the three of us."

Riolu, on the other hand, looks to Ryan, confused. "Did I upset him? And... what did he mean by that sword thing?"

"He's not upset, and I'll tell you when you're older." The former human quickly averts that little disaster. "As for this other plan..." he settles against the mare contently, "I think I could get used to this. She'd probably hug you too if you wanted, kid."

"But what about Mister Casey?" A blue paw gestures to the Pokémon in question. "Surely he'd like hugs, too?"

Casey sighs. "I'm a sword. A ghost sword, at that. Even if I'm tangible enough to hug, I think whoever tried it would get a few cuts." Instantly, the floating blade finds himself being enveloped by both the mare and the Riolu, practically dragging him down to the ground in the process as his eye widens. "...well... not that I'm complaining, but I didn't expect that."

"See?" The pegasus giggles, looking at him. "You can be hugged and not hurt anyone... but I'm afraid you aren't allowed to be negative in this household if you're going to stay." She smiles cheekily at him. "You take yourself outside if you have to fume, alright?"

He blinks. "...I wasn't aware I was staying... but, um, thank you."

"I know I'm staying. What about you, kid?" Ryan is glad for his cushioning bubbles as he is squeezed in the middle of the group hug.

He smiles, his tail wagging slightly behind him. "I think I'd like that. Besides, this way I get to stay with my friends!"

"You're a good kid. At least we have a place to call home while we figure things out." Looking up at all of them, the Froakie frowns slightly as he looks at the Honedge, but calms as he looks at the mare. "Getting to know our host would be a good start, so she doesn't have any more big scares." Note to self: issues warnings all around in the event I find Geyser.

"Right." Casey looks up at the mare. "So... the frog thinks, and I agree, that we should get to know each other better. Introductions and all that."

"I have a name you know..." Ryan grumbles.

"Oh, of course!" She smiles warmly, placing the smallest of the Pokémon back on the dresser. "My name is Midnight. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Glad to be back near his writing tools, the frog scribbles away again before holding up the paper and smiling. 'Hello, very nice to meet you. My name is Ryan, the sword is Casey, and the masked one is a Riolu who... doesn't really have a name. I've just been calling him 'kid'.'

The pegasus squints at the paper, slowly saying the names out loud. "Ryan... Casey... Ray-o... Rye-uh..." She shakes her head, groaning softly. "That's too hard to pronounce." She turns, pointing a hoof at the bipedal Pokemon. "Your name is Liu, now. Much easier to say!"

He can only stare back at her, stunned. "Umm... okay?"

"Well... that works." Ryan chuckles as he draws a line under the last message and starts a new one. "This must be the universe getting me back for not doing hand-written letters these last few years in favor of e-mail." After a few more seconds, he holds up the paper again. 'So, anything you want to share? I'm also curious as to why I was suddenly brought to your nest here.'

"Oh, um..." Midnight sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of her neck. "I... like frogs... especially cute ones..."

"Is that why there's something that looks like a bubble-less version of Mister Ryan under her cloud?" The Riolu points to a plush green limb sticking out from the edge of the bed frame.

The former human hops down and peeks at the plushie before laughing and giving the mare a knowing look. "I see..." He writes again. 'Thank you very much for the compliments, Miss Midnight, and thank you for opening your home to us little displaced ones.'

"Oh, it's my pleasure!" She giggles, gingerly rubbing the back of his head. "I couldn't just let lost cuties like yourselves sit out in the cold, now could I?"

Casey, who has been just awkwardly leaning against the wall near the broken window, blinks his eye and mutters to himself. "'Cuties'?"

"Yes, cuties." She smirks at the sword playfully. "Even you, big guy." The Ghost/Steel-type makes a coughing sound and averts his gaze to the wall.

Ryan blushes slightly as he writes more. 'Thank you again, it has been a very strange day so far. It's good to know we will have something consistent to hold on to.' He looks to the recently named Liu. "Did you want me to say something to her for you?"

He looks right back, a little unsure. "Umm... thanks for the name?" The little dog Pokemon considers this a bit longer before speaking up. "Could you ask her if... if she's seen a Blaziken, recently?"

"Sure." The frog adds onto what he just wrote. 'Liu says thanks for the name, and he wants to know if you've seen a large, bipedal, wing-less birdlike fiery creature around here recently.'

Midnight takes her time to read it before giggling, leaning down and pecking the frog on the head. "Like I said, it's my pleasure, Ryan." She turns her attention to the Riolu, sheepishly smiling. "I'm glad you like it, Liu, but I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone like that around."

"Hmm..." Not willing to go into lengthy thought about his predicament that will likely depress him just yet, the frog writes one last note before hopping  down to the floor in front of the mare and holding it up. 'Well, is there anything our new landlady and hostess would like us to do or know?'

"Well, I do have a few rules." She eyes the floating sword a moment, wary. "One, I'd like you to refrain from tearing up anything. Two," she turns to look at the other two, "if you have any private business to take care of, please use a bathroom, or go outside." She taps her chin, thoughtful. "And, if you ever see a flower looped around the handle of my bedroom door... please don't enter."

Liu looks to Ryan, unsure what to think. "What... what did those last two mean?"

Casey, despite lacking a throat, manages to perfectly imitate the sound of clearing one. "I think those are reasonable rules. Right, you two?"

"Right!" The Froakie nods succinctly, whispering to the Riolu. "As for the last two... the first was about using the bathroom, the last was saying don't go in her room then because she's doing adult things. Make sense?"

"Oh. Okay, then." He nods to himself, looking up at the pony. "I think they're reasonable... but what's a bathroom, exactly?"

Midnight, instead of answering, giggles and scoops him up, cradling him in her forelegs. "What's that? Did the puppy want a little loving?" She rubs a hoof over his belly, smiling warmly when his hind leg kicks in response.

Casey decides to interject. "That reminds me... any chance you could show us around, Midnight? We haven't seen any of your home besides this room, or much of the town besides just outside your place."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." She turns to the door but stops when her hoof hits the floor, a soft crunch echoing through the room. She takes in a deep, shuddering breath, looking over her shoulder to the sword. "Could you possibly... gather up the glass, real quick? I need to... take care of one tiny issue, before I show you around..."

Casey nods, looking slightly worried, but setting about to just using his ribbon to begin sweeping up the glass into a pile. Meanwhile, the Froakie in the room tilts his head at the mare, his species' attentiveness still a little foreign to him, but nonetheless screaming at him that something was wrong. Hopping once over to the mare's side, he looks up at her thoughtfully.

She nods and carefully puts down Liu. Turning to the door to the hall, she begins to limp towards it, leaving faint red marks in the orange carpet. Eyes narrowing, Ryan quickly hops in front of her and holds his hands out to make her stop. Once she does, he scoops off some of the suds around his neck and off his back, sticking them to the bottom of her hoof. As the missing ones start to bubble out new ones on him, he backs off a few steps, motioning to her hoof.

She tilts her head curiously at this, gingerly lowering her hoof to the ground. When the sharp bolt of pain she expected doesn't come, she stares down in awe, then to the Froakie. She gives a small smile at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Ryan. I'd give you a head rub, but..." She waves her injured hoof, hoping that would be enough of an explanation.

He simply smiles, content to play the silent helpful type for the moment. He hops next to her, waiting for her to go wherever she is heading to see to herself.

Midnight looks at the makeshift bandage, then to the door, and finally to Ryan. "You know... I was going to get gauze for this," she looks at her now-bubbly hoof, "but I don't think that'll be necessary, now."

Tilting his head at her, he points at the hoof before taking a few of the bubbles from himself again and rubbing his hands together as if washing them.

"So... I can wash them off?" She frowns a bit before the actual meaning kicks in. "Oh! You're right, I do need to sanitize it!" She flares her wings, grabbing the frog up in her uninjured foreleg and flying out of the room.

Liu watches them from his spot on the bed, curious. "Wait, so this glass stuff hurts when stepped on? Like Spikes?" He looks down at the superficial scratches covering his body. "I thought it only hurt when you slam into it, like Reflect..."

Casey sighs. "Liu, sooner or later you'll realize that not everything is the same as in a battle." He has finished sweeping the glass into a pile and just stares at it. "...wait, what do I do with this now?"

Ryan, meanwhile, is once again finding himself suddenly airborne as he is carried by the mare. Still, this time he enjoys it more as he relaxes, wondering where in the house they'll be heading.

Midnight carries him down the hall, descending the stairs with ease. The two of them enter the kitchen, where she places him on the counter in the middle room. "The first aid kit should be around here, somewhere..." She turns around and opens a cupboard beneath the sink, digging around inside.

The human-turned-frog looks around while she does that. Hmm... at least they seem to have most human appliances, even if there are modifications. No computers yet though... Hopefully no Poké Balls either. He shivers a little, not wanting to even go down that train of thought.

"Found it!" She slowly pulls back and turns to face him, a white, medium-sized box with a red plus sign on it firmly gripped in her teeth. She carefully places it on the counter next to him, and her hoof beside it. "Now comes the hard part... sterilizing and wrapping the bandage around the wound..."

Ryan pats her leg reassuringly as he sits next to the box. "Puncture wounds are never fun. You'll be fine; most trainers get good at this sort of thing when they meet their first Beedrill or Sandslash." He waits for her to go at her own pace.

The black mare looks to him, smiling softly. "Thanks for being concerned... I still wish I could understand you, though." She giggles and looks at her hoof, her soft smile slowly falling. "Now... how do I get these sticky bubbles off?"

Remembering the official Pokedex description of Frubbles as 'delicate yet flexible,' the Froakie gives a small sharp poke to one of the spheres. Giving a happy croak when it pops, he smiles and quickly does the same to the rest.

Midnight looks down at the now-exposed injury on her hoof, visibly wincing. "Well... this is going to take longer to tend to than I thought..." She looks to the sky-blue frog, nervously smiling. "Could you... pass me the tweezers?"

He nods, picking up the forceps and offering them to her. One part of him is curious how she even intends to use these without fingers.

She leans close, gently taking it in her teeth and turning to her hoof. Cautiously, she starts to pull one of several pieces of glass out of her hoof, barely keeping one eye squinted open due to the pain. Finally, after a couple agonizing moments, it comes free, and the mare releases the breath she had been holding. Turning her head slightly, she drops the shard onto a small ceramic plate, but loses the tweezers in the process, clattering a bit until it lands under the lip of the dish. The poor pony groans quietly, resting her head on the counter. "Perfect... just perfect..."

Feeling like a cross between a friend and a parent, Ryan picks up the tweezers himself. After checking it to make sure it's clean, he hops over to her hoof. Lifting it with one hand, he gestures the tweezers and tilts his head questioningly.

Feeling him move her hoof, Midnight tilts her head up, blinking in surprise and curiosity. "You... you want to h-help?"

He nods. "Why wouldn't I?" Again he motions to her hoof and tilts his head.

The mare looks at him for a few more seconds before softly chuckling, using her free hoof to gently rub his head. "Thank you, Ryan. I'd love it if you could help me."

He hums appreciatively, eyes narrowing in her hoof as the one rubbing him stops. As he draws the tweezers up to work, he unknowingly sticks his tongue out one side of his mouth in concentration. As gently as he can, the frog grips one of the shards and slides it out, dropping it on the plate.

Not hearing any complaints from the mare, the former human finds his groove as he treats the familiar wound type. In short order he removes the glass, wipes off the blood, disinfects the area, puts on pain-killing cream, wraps the hoof, and even puts a small layer of Frubbles over it before wrapping those under another bandage. He nods at his handiwork before finally looking up at Midnight.

She simply stares down at him in shock. Her gaze wanders to her treated hoof, and she carefully shifts it, tapping the counter experimentally. The mare looks back to the frog in stunned silence, having trouble finding the words to say. "I... you... it..." She audibly gulps, giving him a shy little smile. "T-Thank you, Ryan."

Chuckling, he smiles and pats her leg. "Not a problem. It's the least I can do. You aren't the first thing I've had to fix up and you won't be the last." Suddenly, a rumble comes from his stomach, causing him to put a hand over it.

Midnight giggles, gently patting him on the head with her bandaged hoof. "I guess you're hungry, huh?" She nods towards the fridge. "Shall we see what I have for you?"

Nodding quickly, he already sees in his mind the one thing he wants. His body tenses in anticipation as his eyes lock onto the fridge.

She picks him up and pulls open the icebox, letting him look for himself. "Go ahead and pick out what you'd like, cutie." She sits down in front of the open appliance, placing him on one of the shelves inside.

Ryan's large eyes flick around as he takes in everything. Before he even finishes taking inventory, he feels something cold against himself and looks down to see his arm clutching a bottle of milk to himself. Looking up to Midnight, he sheepishly laughs as he looks around more, idly noting the hay and flowers in one part of the fridge. What do Froakies eat anyway... No way I'm eating insects. Hmm... I don't see fish either...

At this point, as if on cue to interrupt his train of thought, Casey hovers into the room, Liu right behind him. "Hey, what do you want me to do with this?" He holds up the small pile of glass shards he had gathered with his ribbon.

She turns to look at him, smiling warmly. "Go ahead and throw it in the trash, please. I don't want anyone else getting injured on accident."

Nodding, he looks around for the trash can. Upon identifying it, he hovers over to deposit the shards inside. "I take it you got yourself taken care of?"

"Actually," Midnight reaches into the fridge, gently rubbing the Froakie's head, "Ryan did most of it. I just got the first aid kit out." She suddenly jolts, eyes wide with realization. "Oh, shoot! I forgot to put it up!"

Ryan rolls his eyes. "You really do worry too much." Using the hand not holding the milk, he pats her reassuringly.

The mare looks to him in confusion, but she starts to relax, regardless. Sighing softly, she smiles and gestures to the bottle. "Found something to drink, I take it?"

The Riolu pops up between the two of them, tilting his head to one side when he sees Ryan. "What are you doing in there?" His gaze falls to the container in his friend's grasp, his eyebrows furrowing in mild confusion. "And... what is that?"

"In order, I'm looking for a snack, and this is milk, the single greatest drink ever." The frog holds the bottle so Liu can see it. "I still need to decide what to eat though, see anything you like?"

Casey blinks, looking over, but not saying anything.

Snapping his gaze from the bottle, Liu looks up among all the items, frowning a bit more with each one he sees. Eventually, he gets to where the Froakie sits, and whines pitifully. "I... I don't know what any of this is..."

"It's okay, I'll find something. Just... no whining please." Looking around again in the vegetarian icebox, Ryan eventually settles on a classic and grabs peanut butter along with strawberry jelly. "We'll work on other options later."

Liu sniffs in the fridge, resting his head on a shelf and looking up at the smaller Pokemon. "Are there any... Custap berries?"

"Umm..." A quick search reveals the answer. "I don't see any. Just a small bowl of mixed ones, but they don't look like any Pokémon berries."

Watching the two of them for only a moment, Midnight turns to Casey, sheepishly smiling. "Could, um... could you translate, please?"

"Huh?" The sword blinks. "Oh, uh... Liu is just looking for berries."

"Oh!" She giggles, turning and gently picking up the small bowl of berries in the fridge. "Well, I have some strawberries, blueberries," she looks around the fridge, moving a few plastic containers out of the way, "a banana, a couple apples-" A small squeak escapes her throat when the Riolu jumps up next to her head, grabbing the apple and eating it without hesitation. "...o-okay, then..."

Setting down his peanut butter and jelly jars, yet holding onto the milk, Ryan taps the canine on the head with a small frown. "Manners, Liu. No snatching things from nice people. You ask."

The young Pokemon looks to the frog, confused. "But... she's not a person... you said so, yourself, Mister Ryan..."

"She can't understand him anyway," Casey points out. "Kind of defeats the purpose."

The frog turns to the sword. "She and I have limited communication ability through gestures, so the effort can at least be made." He once more speaks to Liu. "As for your comment, I know she isn't a person, but I don't exactly know a word that would fit there to encompass people, Pokémon, and..." He waves a hand toward Midnight. "Whatever her collective species is called in plural form."

Feeling a little awkward at only hearing one part of their conversation, the mare in question stands up. She rubs the back of her neck, nervously chuckling. "Well, I'll leave you to make yourself something to eat. I just... I need to check on my groceries. Then I'll take you on a tour of the house." She slowly backs out of the room, waving to them with a wing until she disappears from view.

Ryan rubs his chin with a hand before climbing out of the fridge. "Hmm... a bit skittish it seems. Still, very nice and we are very lucky to have met her, especially on a crazy day like this one." Any further words from the frog are stopped as he pops open the bottle and sips the white liquid inside. The soft sigh of happiness followed by a much longer drink seem to indicate he won't be speaking again for the moment.

Casey sighs as he watches this. "You know what I realized just now?" He doesn't wait for a response. "I can't eat anymore."

Liu looks to him, tilting his head in confusion. "But... you're a sword... I don't think you need to eat, anyways..."

"That's the point... I can't eat anymore." He shuts his eye. "You never know what you have until it's gone..."

As the Froakie finally stops drinking the milk for a moment, most of it gone now, he speaks up. "Try more to think of the positives of your new form. Even as a Pokémon in general, you grow stronger, get bigger... learn new things..." Ryan's eyes stare straight ahead as something dawns on him. "I have been transformed into a Pokémon child and now have to go through puberty again..." His fist slams into the floor. "Damn it! Once was enough! Why? Why again?!"

Mood swinging suddenly, the sword laughs. "You're right, there are positives to being a Honedge!"

"Enlighten me," the frog deadpans.

"Well, I might not have to eat, but at least I won't have a pimply face in a few weeks either." He chuckles again. "And when I do evolve, I won't have to deal with a tongue that's twice as long as my body."

"Honestly I don't know if that's not the case right now..." the Froakie mutters to himself before speaking louder. "Oh yeah? Well, at least I still have my limbs and an actual face that isn't just a design on my sheath."

The Honedge laughs again, but this time, it sounds rather hollow. "And I could kill you right now just by poking my head into your stomach."

Flinching, Ryan walks backwards away from the ghost weapon. "Wow... that was unnecessarily harsh and worrying..." He eyes the unreadable surface of the Pokemon warily, now wishing it did have a face so he could tell what it was thinking.

The eye in the hilt rolls. "I'm not going to, you paranoid lilypad-hopper. That was just my way of telling you to shut up."

"There are better ways..." the Froakie grumbles again, holding the bottle out to the young one of the group. "You want any of this before I chug the rest?"

Liu, who had been watching him hopefully the whole time, eagerly takes the offered bottle, drinking with a surprising amount of ardor. Once he's done, he puts the nearly-empty container next to his smaller friend, sighing happily.

Blinking at the guzzling, Ryan laughs. "I guess you liked it then?"

The Riolu nods, smiling warmly. "Yes sir!" He rubs the back of a paw over his lips, trying to get any milk that may be there off.

"Good answer!" Back from the slight dip in his mood after talking with Casey, the Froakie slams back the last of the milk and sets the bottle on the floor. "Ah... that hit the spot. Now then... where has the lady of the house gone off to?"

Liu looks up from the strawberry he was sniffing, tilting his head to one side. "I... think she's a floor above us... feeling a little nervous, maybe?" He takes a bite of the fruit, his nose scrunching up soon after. "Tart..."

"Yeah, those are usually better if you have them with something sugary." Looking at the ceiling as if he can see through it, Ryan hum in thought. "Hmm... that aura will be quite useful in figuring out intentions. Think we should go up and see her?"

"You can, if you'd like." He paws through the berry bowl, most of his attention on the food. "I want something to get that taste out of my mouth..."

"Hmm... I think I will, but in the mean time, try this." Opening the fridge again, the frog takes out the jelly jar and sets it before the young one. "You could also get some water from there." He points to the faucet over the sink on the counter. "I'll be right back." His piece now said, he begins hopping towards the stairs.

The Riolu watches him leave, then glances at the closed jar. He looks to his paws and frowns softly. "How am I supposed to open this?"

Hopping upstairs in no time at all, Ryan does a small bit of thinking as he seeks out the mare. I hope Casey isn't a bad influence on Liu when I'm not around... Still, I'm glad to be out of that bit of abrasiveness. Never thought I'd see the day when I'm more comfortable around some..." he stops as he tries to think of a word for Midnight before continuing, "lady of an unknown species before a Pokémon I've seen countless times. Still, it's a day for firsts... and of comfort in an unknown land. As the looming thoughts of serious repercussions of his current situation threaten to overwhelm his mind, the former human shakes his head vigorously, staying focused on his goal to keep his mind under control. Now where is she...

He hears clattering coming from a room nearby, through a door that is ajar. Curious, he hops over, opening the door slowly and slipping in so as not to scare her. Inside, he finds the mare picking up various bottles off the tile floor, placing them in a cabinet behind the mirror. As she reaches for a tube of toothpaste, she spots him, giving a small wave with a wing while picking up said toiletry.

"Huh... just the usual cleaning up for houseguests... don't know why I was worried." Still, having come all the way up here he hops on over, seeing if he can do anything to help. Motioning to the various products, he tilts his head at her questioningly, something he realizes is turning into his main gesture for her.

Midnight puts the tube on the counter, turning and smiling sheepishly to him. "Sorry, I was just... checking on something, and I, well..." She sighs, shaking her head and motioning to the items on the floor. "I knocked everything down on accident..."

"Ah, that's why I was worried. I may be paranoid, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong." Still, Ryan begins quickly hopping down to the floor, grabbing some things, and hopping back up to leave them on the counter before repeating. However, after the fourth increasingly quick repetition of this, the frog finds himself forced to sit down as his head spins. Holding a hand to his head, he can practically feel the swirls in his eyes. Okay... note to self... just because you have the body for it, doesn't mean you have the experience to not be dizzied by it...

"Are you alright?" She picks him up, holding him to her chest. "Do you want to take a rest? I mean, all that's left is floss, so we can, if you'd like."

"Yes, please..." He nods, the spinning slowing slightly.

The mare quickly looks around and, spotting a folded towel, pulls it over to him. "Here you go, little guy. This should work for a bed, right?"

He absentmindedly rubs the towel, a light headache being his deterrent to more rapid movement for the moment. "Well it's certainly soft... but you don't really have to..."

Without saying a word, she swaddles him in the cloth and cradles him in her wing. "You just rest now, Ryan. Wouldn't want you passing out, would we?"

He blinks as he rests in the cloth. ...and she's a motherly type while I'm in a small and cute body. I probably should have seen this coming. Shifting in the cloth, he hums to himself. Still... it is comfortable... I'll complain how I'm too old for this later. "Thank you," he croaks to her.

"So cute." Midnight giggles, gently patting him on the head before returning to her work. She quickly fixes everything back up and, glancing at the top of the medicine cabinet, closes the door, taking him out of the bathroom and making for the room they first entered the house.

As they enter what Ryan has mentally started calling 'the roost', his face scrunches in confusion. "What are we doing here?"

Seeing his expression, Midnight smiles softly, bringing him over to the dresser. She quickly grabs the pencil in her teeth before turning back around, exiting the room, this time heading downstairs to return to the others. The frog simply observes, curious what her plan is.

As they get close to the kitchen, a familiar voice from inside snaps, "Why are you still following me?!"

The two of them enter the room to see the sword floating around the island, the Riolu following his every motion. "Because you seemed lost, Mister Casey. I thought I'd keep you company."

"There's a difference between being lost and wanting to be left alone!" The Honedge floats up over the island now. "I'm in the latter category!"

"Why would you want to be alone?" Liu tries to climb onto the counter after him, but he can't get a good grip with the jar of jelly in his paw. "No one should be alone..."

The eye in the hilt glares. "Well, I should."

The canine's ears dip at this. "I... I'm sorry, Mister Casey... I didn't mean to upset you..."

"Hey!" The Froakie speaks up from his blanket. "Don't be cruel to the kid just because he's trying to be nice to you!"

Casey focuses his glare on the frog. "I told him to leave me alone and he didn't listen. All bets are off at that point." He does a double take. "...why are you in a blanket?"

"Circumstances, motherly host, and comfort," Ryan replies tersely before countering. "Why are you an ass?"

The sword would shrug if he could. "Why wouldn't I be? If I'm nice, people will just cling to me and follow me around. Being an asshole keeps them away."

The mare speaks up, looking right at the Honedge. "I wouldn't be too sure, Casey. I know a couple ponies who'd take that as a challenge to be your friend."

Casey looks back at her. "And they would soon discover how bad an idea it is."

"I'd have to disagree." The black pegasus slides the pencil on her hoof onto the counter, not wanting it to fall. She opens a drawer and pulls out a notepad, setting it near the pencil. "I'm sure underneath your cold exterior is a warm soul. You just have to see it, yourself."

"I don't really care to, even if there is," the Honedge growls. "I'd rather live the way I've been living for twenty-something years than change things now and turn into a wimpy little ball of friendly goop."

"Being friendly is what got us a place to stay. Being friendly is keeping you safe from just being pounded by anything out there stronger than you. Being friendly means that people will want to help you... doesn't that seem worth it?" Ryan desperately tries to appeal to the sword.

Casey sighs. Instead of replying, he just floats off into the other room.

The Froakie sighs as well, slumping in his blanket. "He's gonna be tough to talk with..."

"Don't worry. He'll warm up to the idea eventually." She places the smallest Pokemon on the counter, unwrapping him carefully. "Are you feeling better, Ryan?"

He nods. "Yes, thank you." His attention turns to the Riolu. "You okay after all that, kid?"

The Pokemon in question rests his head on the edge of the island, looking at the doorway. "...I'm okay... thanks for asking, Mister Ryan..."

"Hmm..." The frog's eyes narrow before he looks back to the mare, pointing to her and motioning to the canine. He follows this up with a small hugging motion before tilting his head at her.

Guessing at what he means, she sits down on the floor and pulls the larger of the two Pokemon close. She tenderly embraces him with forelegs and wings, sighing in relief when he returns the affectionate gesture. She didn't expect the next thing that came out of his mouth, though. Even not able to understand him, she could feel the sadness in his voice when he says, "Mom..."

Two simultaneous pangs go through Ryan at this single word. The first is a strong empathic sadness for the kid, just realizing that if he was this young, he'd be wanting the exact same comfort figure. The second was a pang for himself, for the friend that has been by his side for years through thick and thin, now missing. Even the frog's bubbles seem to droop at this while his demeanor takes a spiral down. "Where could they be..."