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waywardstation · 2 years

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Heart Full, Bowl Empty

Chapter 1

Winter is approaching Hisui, and everyone is prepared for the upcoming harsh months. That is, Akari thought so, until she attended one of the Pearl Clan’s communal dinners with Ingo.

It becomes increasingly clear to Akari that the clan is struggling to keep food on the table, and she might be part of the reason why.

MASSIVE FIC working off the concept this blog’s audience has been discussing for a while, how the Pearl clan might deal with food shortages in-game. Working with so many prompts on this one, I can’t list them all! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this!

Or, read it here on AO3!

Enjoy!

————

“Ingo! I can’t reach these ones!”

Akari called back to the warden from her tricky position.

“Well, what are you trying to- Ah!” Ingo looked up from a bush he was currently plucking plump beans from, to see Akari had made her way fairly high up one of the highland’s steep, rocky inclines.

Currently holding onto a scraggly, twisted tree that was growing out of the side of the rocky wall, it was clear she was trying to reach the fruit that hung from the tangle of branches that stretched out over the ledge, but was too short to do so.

The situation was not particularly one of immediate danger, but the shock of such a sight still startled Ingo.

“Miss Akari!” Ingo called back, pocketing the beans and quickly making his way under the tree on the steep incline, to catch Akari should she fall. “How did you get up there?”

“With my hands and feet!” The girl replied, clearly not taking the situation as seriously as Ingo. She reached out again for one of the hanging razz berries, stretching her arm out. But it was more of a show for Ingo than an actual attempt, as she was nowhere close.

“See? I can’t reach them. Do you think you can get them?”

“Well-“ Ingo did his best to get his heart back down his throat, seeing how far Akari was leaning over the edge. She was putting a lot of faith into that thin, gnarled tree, and was not performing any safety checks at all!

And it might be strong enough to support her, but certainly not him - he knew better than to try at her appeal.

��…Perhaps, we can request Lady Sneasler to retrieve them when she arrives back!” Ingo offered after a moment. “She should be returning soon!”

A moment of hesitant silence.

“And please, step away from the ledge? You are…very close to the edge!”

“Alright!” Akari finally pulled back to the safety of the ledge, still holding onto the base of the tree. “But make sure she at least tries! Cliff berries are the best berries!”

Finally, Akari started making her way back down the incline, to Ingo’s relief.

“How so?” Ingo questioned, extending an arm out once she was within distance, to help her down the rest of the way.

“Because they always grow the biggest!” Akari replied, reaching to take Ingo’s outstretched arm. With his support, she jumped the rest of the way down, back onto solid ground besides him.

Ingo did not correct her. She was right that the berries grew the biggest on the cliffs, due to constant sunlight and little competition from other plants, but the tough rocky soil - absent of specific, much-needed nutrients - often left such berries with a more sour flavor, and a higher ratio of tougher, tasteless flesh than sweet juice. Which is why, besides the obvious dangers Akari just displayed, Ingo avoided them himself when he could.

But he didn’t think Akari had ever eaten any of these berries to know that for herself. And he was glad she didn’t have to.

In the stretch of land bridging the Coronet Highlands and the Alabaster Icelands, the grey weather was crisp enough for a light, quiet snowfall to start drifting. The snowflakes promptly melted as they touched the warmer ground, but clung a bit longer to the leaves of bushes and trees, as well as Ingo and Akari’s clothes.

With the sky a gradient of orange and purple, the setting sun was hidden behind the thick heavy clouds, softening the harsh light to a pleasant glow.

Such was expected in the winter months of Hisui, when the sun slept dormant beneath the mountain line for longer stretches, and the warmth was fleeting.

Akari, Ingo, and Lady Sneasler were currently gathering various foodstuffs for Pearl Clan, making their way closer to the Icelands as they went. It was initially just Ingo and Lady Sneasler, but Akari had come across the two of them gathering while doing fieldwork, and wanted to join in, thinking all of the gathering was for Lady Sneasler’s kits.

“The kits sure eat a lot!” Akari had commented, gazing at the mixed collection of beans, berries, and salt sitting in Lady Sneasler’s basket. That was a lot for nine little sneaslets!

“They do,” Ingo hadn’t disagreed with her when he dumped a handful of oran berries into the basket. “However, this is intended to arrive at another station, back at the Pearl Clan settlement.”

Suddenly, the contents of the basket had become very small, when Akari replaced nine little sneaslets with a settlement of thirty-some people in her mind.

But it was the result of hours of gathering, while also being mindful not to overtake. The mountainous terrain also provided for other wild Pokémon in the area, and taking too much would have a bad effect on the ecosystem.

Ingo had assured her they had more back at the settlement, but still…

Akari wasn’t able to help them somehow get around the latter problem, but she could help with the former! They just needed another gatherer to help speed up the process!

So, much against Ingo’s insistence she not deviate from her original tracks, Akari paused her fieldwork to help them, and had been doing so for the last few hours.

“Snea!”

Ingo and Akari glanced in the direction of the cry to see Lady Sneasler returning and announcing her arrival, a brown wicker basket on her back.

Smaller than her travel basket Akari was accustomed to riding in, this was one of pearl clan’s baskets meant for collecting - Lady Sneasler had refused to let her cherished ride basket carry dirty roots and sticky berries. Ingo was originally the one who was meant to carry this gathering basket, but just because his noble didn’t want her basket carrying messy cargo, didn’t mean she didn’t want to carry a basket at all - she quite liked being the designated carrier! (And it’s partly why she had retained a role as a ride Pokémon in the first place; she loved it.) Lady Sneasler had quickly urged the basket from Ingo, content to carry it herself.

The tall Pokémon approached the two and slipped the brown woven basket off to set it on the ground before them, opening up the lid to show she had since managed to gather more berries and beans, adding to the contents.

“Bravo!” Ingo congratulated his noble on her success, mentally counting what had been newly added as he gazed into the basket. “You’ve gathered a considerable amount! Well done!”

“Snnnrr,” Lady Sneasler pulled a rather bashful expression as she rubbed the back of her neck with a clawed arm, in regards to the compliment. She clearly enjoyed the positive attention, and always appreciated her warden’s encouragement with her efforts to help.

Akari and Ingo took the chance to empty their pockets into the basket, temporary storage spaces to hold beans and berries until Lady Sneasler returned.

“With our schedule, it appears we are running a little behind. This is the last stop for gathering.” Ingo commented as he gazed up at the sky, noting the creeping darkness slowly replacing the soft sunset reds and oranges. “We should proceed onwards to our next destination, to the settlement.”

Sneasler let out an agreeable chirp, going to pack the basket back up and set it back upon her shoulders.

“Wait!” Akari interjected, tugging on Ingo’s coat as she pointed up the rocky incline, back at the gnarled razz berry tree. “The cliff berries! Remember?”

“Oh! I apologize,” Ingo started, before turning back to his noble. “Lady Sneasler, I apologize, but before we depart, might I ask you to retrieve the berries up there on the cliffside?”

“Snea?”

The Pokémon pulled the faintest look of confusion. Her warden usually avoided picking those. He always said they were a bit tough and sour. Kids liked them even less than adults. And they were picking these for the clan, right?

But, she shrugged and set the basket back down on the ground, to instead start the task of scaling the cliff and retrieving the berries. With her sharp claws, sturdy enough to penetrate the rocky wall like hooks, she had a much easier time of going about it than Akari did.

“Is this enough?” Akari questioned Ingo, pulling his attention away from Lady Sneasler for a moment. He glanced over at Akari beside him, who had opened up the basket again to assess its contents. “I mean, for the whole Pearl Clan?”

“It is enough.” Ingo replied to her after the most subtle delay, plain and simple. The word meant something different to Ingo than it did Akari. “We have more stored at the settlement.”

“Snea!”

Lady Sneasler landed back on the ground quietly and skillfully, having effectively ended the short conversation. Having been careful to keep the branches in tact to ensure more would keep growing, the razz berries lay collected in her claws.

Lady Sneasler’s weaponized claws may have had the power to shred that gnarled tree to ribbons like parchment, (and she had used them with such power many times), but as a caring creature at heart, she took pride in how delicately she could use them as well, for things such as plucking fragile berries gently from their branches.

“Thank you for your assistance, Lady Sneasler,” Ingo thanked the Pokémon as she placed the berries on top of the collected pile in her basket, before closing it up and slipping her arms through the straps, hitching it up on her back.

Ingo pulled his signature pose, pointing in the direction of the Icelands, and the setting sun.

“Now, onwards to the Pearl Clan settlement, full speed ahead! We are running behind schedule, but can make up for some lost time if we move quickly.”

————

The sky was darkening considerably as the trio reached the edge of the Icelands, where the falling snowflakes started to build up on the ground, rather than disappear.

Ingo eyed the clouds, weighing whether or not they seemed too heavy. Currently, the snowfall was agreeable, but weather in the Icelands could turn on a dime…especially at this time of year, with many ocean storms reaching Hisui.

Ingo, with Lady Sneasler by his side, glanced back at Akari. She was a few steps behind the two, and could not keep up as well making her way through the slowly-deepening snow, being smaller with shorter legs than the warden and his noble.

On the edge of the Icelands, traversing the hills that surrounded the flat valley, the untouched snow was piled higher and packed more unpredictably. And with the way the snow was coming down, it would only get tougher.

“I do not mean to rush, Miss Akari,” Ingo paused for the girl to catch up, despite his wishes to hurry. “But we are still behind schedule.”

“Sorry!” Akari apologized as she kicked through the snow to catch up, which Ingo hadn't meant for her to do at all - she had nothing to be sorry for. “I just…wish I brought different shoes now-!”

Akari would have started ranting to Ingo about how she really wanted to talk to Cyllene about considering different shoes for their uniform, if she didn’t take note of how Ingo seemed to be in more of a hurry than usual. He was habitually one to keep on schedule, but he always took safety just as seriously; while he would attempt to hurry things along if behind, he would never usually rush things, like he was doing now.

Perhaps it was the heavy layers of overlapping clouds following behind them.

“Snnr,” Sneasler hummed as she kept in sync with her warden’s footsteps, hoisting the basket up higher on her back.

“Lady Sneasler would offer her assistance if we were using the correct basket, and if it was not already containing fragile cargo,” Ingo commented, glancing into the wicker basket on his noble’s back to view all of the contents. It was only just over halfway full, but a person definitely couldn’t fit in there even if it was empty.

“Snea!” The light-furred Pokémon followed up an apology, her feathered ear moving with the gentle wind.

It would not stay gentle for long.

“It’s ok!” Akari reassured the warden and his noble as they continued on their way again, towards the Pearl Clan settlement in the distance. “I can make it the rest of the way, we’re almost there!”

Across the grizzled pale stretch of snow and icy fields below, structures that peppered an inclined hill were visible in the distance, and wisps of smoke from various fires could be seen climbing into the dim, drab sky.

“If you have more back at the settlement, are you going to store all of this?” Akari asked after a stretch of quiet, pushing hard to keep up with Ingo and Lady Sneasler. Despite the cold, she was starting to sweat under her clothes with the strain.

“The gathered materials?” Ingo clarified, kicking through the snow as it deepened further, moving past ankle height and reaching miserably next towards knee-height. “Some of it, yes, but most of it is for our clan’s dinner tonight, which is why we should hurry; they are waiting at the station for us to arrive and deliver.”

“Oh!” Akari had the epiphany put together for her as she huffed warm breath out of her lungs, watching it hang in the air. “You all have dinner together?”

Akari wondered what that could possibly look like…she imagined Pearl Clan all sitting at a single dinner table, with Irida asking how everyone’s day was like a stereotypical mother, as the clan leader.

The amusing thought got a small laugh out of Akari, just quiet enough for Ingo not to hear.

She had to see this!

“Yes, community clan dinners are a regular on the schedule. It is meant as a time to socialize together in a communal setting under one roof, just as much as eat.” Ingo heaved a clouded breath of his own, slowing down momentarily as they reached the edge of the hills, the steep incline patchy with snow-layered trees all the way down. He seemed surprised to be at this hill, as if he was off course, and was hesitant to continue.

But it would be fine, as long as he guided her.

“Take care to keep by me, and do not get too close to the trees as we descend.” Ingo held his hand out for Akari to take, grounding a foot over the side of the slope.

Akari grasped Ingo’s hand as he led her down the snowbank. He took a few careful steps at a time, frequently stopping to let the disturbed snow settle so as not to cause the whole hill to slide in a big sheet of white, and take them with it. Akari did her best to copy him, moving when he moved, and stopping when he stopped.

Lady Sneasler followed behind, using her large snowshoe-like feet to skillfully displace her weight with the basket on her back across the loose snow. She easily could have surpassed Ingo and Akari down the hill, but she instead hung behind to make sure they would make it down alright, and perhaps snag one or both of them on a quick claw if they slipped.

“Steer a little to the left, away from the trees,” Ingo pulled Akari with him to move her to the other side of him, stepping to adjust their path around a patch of approaching trees, instead of going through it. “Lady Sneasler, follow my path exactly in the snow.”

“Snea,” the limber Pokémon adjusted her path to place her feet where Ingo’s shoes left tracks in the snow.

“What’s in the trees?” Akari asked the larger warden as she pulled close and wrapped an arm around his middle, grasping for more support than a held hand could give. She imagined a giant alpha Pokémon hiding amongst the tree line, just waiting to pounce on them.

“Traps,” Ingo marked her theory incorrect, pausing to let the displaced snow slide them further down carefully. “Pearl Clan leaves a multitude of traps in this area, in case something rolls down the hill, and tries to stop itself in the trees.”

Taking another glance at the trees and now knowing what to look for, Akari could see the telltale signs of various traps hidden amongst the foliage and twisted branches.

Thin, taunt strings stuck out of the ground around the bases of trees and continued up into the branches. Small, unidentifiable wooden structures could be seen, barely visible under a canopy of snow and leaves. Some even poked out lining the edge of the trees, camouflaged in the snow and waiting to snap up anything that even wandered near the foliage.

While Akari took in the fact that there was quite a concentrated amount of traps, Ingo noticed none of them had been set off, and nothing had been caught.

Ingo and Akari finally made it to the bottom of the hill and stumbled off of the incline, onto flatter, thinner snow. Lady Sneasler followed soon after, jumping onto the more stable ground and kicking off the clumps of snow that clung to her fur.

“I apologize for the rocky change of tracks, normally I do not go through there. But we must hurry; we have almost arrived at our destination,” Ingo huffed, readjusting his hat by the brim as he immediately trudged on, towards the settlement. “The most difficult part of the trip is now behind us.”

“Whew, good!” Akari tried to catch her breath as Lady Sneasler gently nudged her on; she had no idea she had to stiffen so many muscles while going down that hill, just to keep balance.

The sun had slipped below the mountain line as the trio finally reached the settlement, the waning glow of the day behind the hills being the only natural light left in the sky. The wind had picked up considerably, and the snowfall was starting to get bothersome, blowing into their eyes.

Ingo could sense an oncoming snowstorm.

“Miss Akari,” Ingo addressed the girl as they approached the worn stone bridge that led to the settlement, sniffing in the dropping temperature. “The weather is becoming unfavorable; I suggest you allow Lady Sneasler to take you back when she departs to rejoin her kits, after we deliver the supplies.”

“What?” Akari questioned, rubbing the snowfall from her face as she crossed the bridge with the Warden. She was looking forward to seeing how Pearl Clan did community dinners. Plus, she had grown hungry after helping Ingo gather over the last several hours; she would never ask herself, but she was hoping she could perhaps get an invitation to stay and have dinner with Ingo, instead of going back to Jubilife just to have another meal of potato mochi. She did not want to eat dinner alone, outside The Wallflower in the dark, empty Jubilife streets.

But Ingo was right, the heavy, imposing clouds did not look very friendly; they seemed to be having a harder and harder time letting the snow fall at a controlled rate. And she would not argue with Ingo on matters like this, when she knew he was right.

“…uh, yeah…ok.”

Ingo glanced back over his shoulder at Akari as he trudged up the settlement’s hill, hearing the disappointment in her voice. Being unaware of her desire to stay for dinner, he had no idea what that was about.

Akari knew this; he couldn’t read her silent thoughts of wanting to stay for dinner, but she couldn’t help but be disappointed that her hopes were snuffed out.

But perhaps if she couldn’t stay for dinner, she could at least see what the mess hall was like when she brought in the gathered supplies with Ingo.

Ingo finally reached the outskirts of the settlement, heading towards the center of the settlement as Lady Sneasler kept at his side, and Akari trailed closely behind. With no one around to greet them and wave to them, it seemed a bit eerie.

“Where is everyone?” Akari asked, coming up to Ingo’s side as she glanced at the barren settlement. Usually, kids were out and about, running around and playing, as adults conversed in groups or walked around, doing chores.

“Inside the hall already, I am assuming,” Ingo winced at the thought, the thin layers of snow crunching under his boots in quick steps. “We are very much behind schedule.”

The warden approached a rather large structure tucked into the middle of the settlement; it appeared to be similar to the tent-like houses that populated the area, but much bigger.

Was this the hall?

Akari had wondered what this building was for! It just made her all the more excited to see what it was like inside, and see what this ‘communal setting’ that Ingo talked so much about was like.

Were there big tables inside, covered with warm candlelights, and plates piled high with savory roasts and rich gravies? Main dishes and sides prepared with sweet berries and crisp vegetables? Hand-carved mugs filled to the brim with hot aspear cider? What were Pearl Clan’s desserts like?

The daydreams were making Akari’s mouth water, even though she told herself she wouldn’t be staying.

“Snea!” Lady Sneasler interjected with a sharp chirp, and Ingo and Akari both turned to see her slipping the wicker basket off to hand to her warden.

“Oh, of course,” Ingo took the basket, slipping it over his own back. The weight bent his knees somewhat under the new cargo, and he steadied himself as he adjusted to his new center of gravity.

Lady Sneasler clicked the claws on one of her paws together as she gestured to Akari with the other, offering it as a hand to take.

“Now, Lady Sneasler may not have her carriage with her, but I can assure you she is still capable of transporting you,” Ingo started, turning his head towards Akari to address her as he reached for the hall doors’ handles. “Several times, she has transported me without-“

“-wait,” Akari interrupted him, piecing things together as she started to shiver in the snow - standing still was cooling her down significantly. “Am I going back now?”

“Well…yes,” Ingo seemed a bit surprised at her realization, his reach for the doors going slack as he raised a brow at her. “The weather is turning unfavorable, and Lady Sneasler must return to her kits before the weather possibly keeps her from departing.”

“Snea!” Lady Sneasler added on a yowl of agreement, obviously wanting to hurry back to reunite with her kits. They were old enough to fend for themselves for stretches of time, but young enough to want (though Lady Sneasler would insist it’s also a ‘need’) their mothers’ comfort and protection in weather such as this.

Harsh storms often drove wild Pokémon to start snooping for shelter, like Lady Sneasler’s den.

Akari turned her head towards the doors of the hall, shut right in front of them, but inviting all the same.

Muffled (but animated) voices could be heard on the other side of those doors, a sliver of warm light shining through between them.

Just on the other side was a room full of people about to enjoy dinner together, having fun and socializing. And Akari was so close to seeing it!

She had accepted at this point that she wouldn’t be invited for dinner, and would have to go eat alone at The Wallflower. That, she would be ok with. But she at least wanted to see what Pearl Clan’s dinners were like! And she was freezing; a few minutes inside a nice warm building would feel amazing.

“Um, well, do you need help taking in the basket first?” Akari’s breath clouded before her in the cold, grasping at straws looking for a reason to go inside. “Or anything?”

“My cab is capable,” Ingo reassured her with his best version of a smile, tugging on the corners of his mouth as he reached for the door again. “Thank you, but you may return to your station now. You have been most helpful today! And Lady Sneasler, if you please make sure-“

“-Can I pop in really quick with you?” Akari pushed the big question out of desperation to not let this chance slip through her fingers. She came all this way; she just wanted to see the hall!

A second of silence hadn’t even passed, a caught-off-guard Ingo still processing what she even asked, but to Akari, it felt like five long seconds of judgement.

“…I mean, I just want to see inside! I’ll stick right by you! And, it’s really cold out here, just a few minutes inside would feel so nice! We go in, we drop off the supplies, we go out, I leave with Lady Sneasler while you have dinner! Quick, right?”

Ingo’s head tipped downward as he gazed at the snow, the brim of his cap partially obscuring his eyes. Anyone would have found that to be quite intimidating in appearance, but Akari knew him well enough to simply recognize it as a look of contemplation.

“In and out!” Akari nudged more. “It’ll only take a few minutes!”

Surely, the weather couldn’t worsen to the point of obstructing travel in just a few minutes.

“Ah, well-“ Ingo fumbled as he looked to the overcast clouds in the darkening sky, obviously trying to multitask by taking this possible new schedule into account, and calculating how long it could take. It was hard to do when his internal clock was already yelling at him that he was incredibly late with his delivery.

But under normal circumstances, this was quite a simple request! How could he not grant it, and turn her away after she helped assist him all day? She did so much without even being asked to - in fact, he insisted multiple times she didn’t have to, but she helped anyways. He would have much less cargo to bring back if it wasn’t for her.

And it wasn’t like she was asking to stay for dinner. Irida would be fine with just about anything as long as that wasn’t asked.

But Lady Sneasler was impatient to reunite with her kits, and for a very good reason-

Ingo did not have the time or capacity to properly consider this sudden new request, and trying to take everything into account seemed to have jammed the gears in his head. Seeing the spot Akari had put him in started to make her feel a little regretful of asking.

“I’m not…hmm, Lady Sneasler?” He looked to her for approval on her part.

Snea! The strained yowl was accompanied with a swatting gesture of claws at the door, impatiently answering her warden’s request for an opinion.

Make it quick, before anymore time is wasted thinking on it.

“Ah, thank you, my Lady!” Ingo huffed out a visible breath of gratitude, as if to expel his extra stress through it. “A train is not always able to wait for its passengers to board. If they are not respectful of the train’s schedule, passengers get left at the station…so we must hurry. In and out.”

“In and out!” Akari echoed, emphasizing she understood as excitement fluttered in her chest, her features visibly lighting up at the approval. She’d get to go in!

Snnnr, Lady Sneasler voiced her disapproving patience, urging the two to hurry as she took up a stance leaning against the side of the hall.

“Alright. Quickly now,” Ingo urged Akari over as he briefly braced himself against the hall’s doors, ready for whatever berating they would get. “We mustn’t take advantage of Lady Sneasler’s kindness.”

And with that, he pushed the doors open.

The change in temperature was immediate; the icy grip of the frozen Icelands quickly loosened as Akari stepped into the warm building, leaving a biting sensation on her frozen skin. The cozy, glowing interior was a welcome change in setting to the dark, muted blue outside, the candles inside providing a pleasant lighting. The large room, primarily utilized as a meeting hall, also doubled as a mess hall. Currently, tables had been pulled out to accommodate for the small group of thirty-something people already present. The chatter of clan members sitting at tables inside gave off a homey, tight-knit atmosphere.

It was very much like she imagined, save for the feasts piled high on the tables.

However, all of that paused momentarily when everyone went quiet, turning back to see Ingo and Akari standing in place in the doorway like stantler in headlights, just as frozen as the cold air they were letting blow in.

The whole thing only lasted a second, but weight of all the eyes suddenly on them was almost crushing. Everyone who had been wondering what was taking so long to prepare dinner, now immediately knew why.

“Close the doors!” Someone from the room yelled, which seemed to snap Ingo out of it. “You’re letting all the cold in!”

“Ah! Of course, of course!” Ingo fumbled as he hurried Akari inside, so he could shut the doors behind them and bar anymore cold from entering.

“Apologies for the delay, everyone!” he tipped his cap in a display of courtesy as he attempted to express regret further, but it didn’t seem very effective at all with the unresponsive audience. Ingo’s face tinted a shade of red, shrinking into the high collar of his coat as he led Akari over to another doorway with quick steps.

Ingo mostly wanted to get away from all of the judging eyes that were boring into the two of them, but he also could hear a quiet murmur from the back of the room.

Everyone saw that not only was he late with the ingredients for dinner, he had also brought Akari in with him. And while he intended to send her back with Lady Sneasler, none of them knew that, and he knew what the situation looked like.

He didn’t have to hear the hushed whispers to know people were wondering why she was here at dinner, but he didn’t want Akari to pick up on it and feel unwelcome. Gently, Ingo ushered her ahead of him with a firm arm, and directed her through the doorway.

Soon enough, the quiet chatter of the room gradually returned to its former volume as the trio slipped out of the mess hall.

“We are very, very behind schedule,” Ingo heaved out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, wiping at nervous sweat that had begun to accumulate under his cap. He didn’t pause to compose himself, instead heading forward and leading Akari through the room.

At first glance, it was apparent this room was a kitchen of sorts, where food was hurriedly being prepared.

The appetizing sights and the scents pointedly reminded Akari of how hungry she actually was, and again she wished she could stay for dinner. The rather large room, lined with shelves and tables, was stuffed with baskets and bowls containing supplies. Dried herbs and leaves decorated the walls from where they hung, and various cooking utensils littered the different tables.

Akari could see three clan members slicing up various vegetables on one side of the room, while another two went between tending to a rather large pot of…something…in the corner, and picking up the sliced vegetables to drop into it.

Yet another two clan members were busying themselves on something roasting over coals; she couldn’t see what it was, but she could smell that it was some sort of meat.

Various other clan members were moving about the kitchen, in search of something it seemed, and Akari found herself constantly ducking out of the way to avoid being hit by an armful of chopped vegetables, another clan member, or even the basket on Ingo’s back as he also moved to try and keep out of the way of others.

Off to the side, wooden plates were lined up on a table, looking severely lacking; on each one, Akari could only see what looked like a bread roll, and some red…jelly of sorts, accompanied by an empty carved bowl.

She hoped that was just what had been prepared already, and that everyone else was currently working on the missing portions of dinner. Because that was not very much on its own, nothing like the piled-high dinner plates she had imagined.

In the middle of all the movement of the busy kitchen was Irida, currently fretting with one of the only clan members not rushing around.

“Is there anything else?” The clan leader seemed visibly stressed, tapping her foot nervously while crossing her arms, as if holding herself.

“Nothing that we weren’t going to use for tomorrow,” the Pearl clan member seemed just as stressed as Irida, anxiously fumbling with a stack of wooden plates and bowls. “And we’ve already had to take a bit from that.”

“Well, then we’ll have to-“

“Lady Irida!” Ingo interrupted the conversation, guiding Akari with him around an unattended table full of herbs. He seemed a bit out of breath, pausing between words as the constant hurrying finally caught up with him. “We have arrived! I am…terribly sorry for the delay, but-!”

“Ingo!” Irida shouted at him above the kitchen bustle with a terrifying mix of relief and upset, completely forgetting about the clan member she had been talking to as she practically jumped to face him.

“Where have you been? We’ve been waiting! Everyone’s been waiting!” She vented the obvious to Ingo, in a more worried manner than angry. Despite his height over her, shes looked like she wanted to shake him, with how much she was gesturing at him with her hands. “Do you-?”

“It’s right here,” Ingo prematurely answered her question as he turned to the side to reveal the basket on his back, with Akari beside him. She gestured to the basket with her hands to emphasize, not sure what else to do on the spot.

“Miss Akari joined Lady Sneasler and I, and assisted with gathering. We have arrived behind schedule, which is not an excuse, but with with her assistance, we have also arrived with more than expected.” Ingo gripped the brim of his cap nervously, eager to please his clan leader after he disappointed her, and make it up to her, despite being her elder.

It seemed to work; the stress in Irida’s features lessened some at the sight, and her posture visibly relaxed, no longer as sharp and jagged with terrified indecisiveness.

“Well, you did deliver,” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if to reset herself. “thank you.”

Irida seemed much less rigid now, but she had not lost her steam over the situation at all. Not slowing down, she had barely gotten her words of thanks out, before she pointed at a pile of woven containers in the corner.

“There’s baskets over there, dump what you’ve got so we can begin sorting for storage and preparation,” Irida directed, hurrying over to check the pot as a clan member dumped a handful of sand radishes into it. “The soup should have been done by now!”

Akari would have cracked a joke about Irida acting like Adaman with how focused she was on the time, if she didn’t seem so stressed.

Several of the Pearl clan members who had previously been scouring the kitchen for more supplies jumped on the new task, and got the containers ready for Ingo to pour the contents of his basket into.

“Of course-“ Ingo’s initially-strong sentence wavered catching a glance at Irida’s passing glance towards him.

She wanted to talk to him. And due to the fact she was saying it with her eyes instead of her mouth, he knew that it was about a certain someone who he had brought in with him; a certain situation that had let some lingering stress cling to her.

“Ah, Miss Akari, may you assist?” Ingo slipped the basket halfway off of his back, pausing for Akari to take it.

“Yes!” Eager to help, Akari grasped the basket in her arms and heaved it over to spill the contents into the clan members’ waiting baskets.

“Is Akari…” Irida whispered inquisitively to Ingo, seeing her chance with Akari’s back turned. “…staying?”

Trying to prepare dinner by making ends meet had been stressful, but the sight of Akari in the kitchen, sticking around with Ingo worried her doubly.

Akari was a invaluable friend and helper to their clan in many ways, and Irida would always be grateful for what she has done for them, but at dinner, she was yet another mouth to feed.

“Do not worry,” the warden reassured his clan leader, leaning in to talk in a lower voice that was masked by the loud ambience of the kitchen. “She merely wanted to see the hall, and come in to warm up a bit. After she assisted all day, it seemed only right to grant her request. Lady Sneasler is stationed outside; as soon as we’re finished here, Miss Akari will depart with her.”

“Oh,” Irida’s shoulders loosened, and finally the rest of the lingering stress washed off of her frame. “Alright then. Thank you, Ingo.”

“Of course,” Ingo nodded his head, understanding in his eyes.

He turned back to see Akari gently coaxing out more of the basket’s contents into the containers, a little at a time as clan members sorted what they could out of it into more individual baskets. Berries into one basket, beans in another, apricorns being left where they were…

“Almost done, Miss Akari?” Ingo questioned, his more naturally loud voice returning with a hint of restlessness. “Lady Sneasler must leave soon.”

“Almost!” Akari answered, pulling the last of the fruits and beans from the back of the basket, spilling them into the waiting container. “There!”

She set the empty basket aside as she dusted her hands off, and returned to Ingo’s side as the clan members thanked her, before continuing their sorting.

“We must be going now; I will return shortly Lady Irida, after I escort Miss Akari outside to Lady Sneasler.” Ingo exchanged with Irida as he placed a hand on Akari’s shoulder.

Akari couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, seeing as it was time for her to go, and Irida had not extended an invitation to her to join.

“Thank you for helping us gather for tonight, Akari,” Irida put on a smile of gratitude for the girl as she interlocked her hands in a more formal pose. “Maybe another time, when we’re less behind schedule with things, we can invite you to join us for dinner!”

…Well, that was sort of an invitation, Akari supposed.

Ingo threw Irida a silent, quizzical look from behind Akari’s shoulder, but Irida brushed it off. It was a simple nicety that she could formally extend at any time she pleased. At any time she felt they could afford to follow through with it. She didn’t know when that would be, but that was the nice thing about vague offers.

“Oh…I’d really like that, thank you!” Akari made sure to push her gratitude as she turned to leave with Ingo. “Goodbye, Irida!”

And with that, Ingo ushered Akari out of the warm, delicious-smelling kitchen, back into the loud, open mess hall.

Now able to take in the social atmosphere of the room a bit more, Akari glanced at the various tables of the thirty-some gathered clan members.

She could see families - parents talking amongst themselves and attempting to calm their children as they played with each other.

Friend groups who were catching each other up on the kinds of days they had, laughing and joking, or playing table games to pass the time.

Elders conversing a bit more quietly about who-knows-what, composed and contained, yet informal and relaxed.

The wardens scattered around the number of tables, chatting with any group of clan members who sat around them.

Akari much rather would have liked to slow down to look for a table to sit at, subconsciously wishing she didn’t have to depart with Ingo’s noble.

Oh how she wished she could be a part of this!

“Let’s not keep Lady Sneasler waiting,” Ingo gently guided her past the tables, towards the doors. Akari very much didn’t want to leave the warm atmosphere; she wanted to stay and have dinner with Ingo and the rest of the clan! But Irida did not extend an offer like that in the kitchen, and it would be embarrassingly rude to barge in uninvited, she ultimately decided.

“Right,” Akari relented as she followed Ingo to the exit that would take her back out to the numbing, bleak Icelands.

She was already mentally going over Beni’s menu in her head, trying to decide how much mochi she would order back at the Wallflower.

“…Now, as I said before, Lady Sneasler does not need her basket to carry you. She is very gentle,” Ingo pushed through the doors, venturing back out into the cold snowstorm with Akari keeping close behind. “Many a time, she has carried me with her claws in a rather-“

Ingo’s words died down as he took notice of two things, one of which snatched his cap from off his head.

The snowstorm had gotten considerably worse. The snowfall had been dropping straight down when they entered the hall, as heavy as it was, was now coming down at a harsh steep angle. The dark blue-grey haze of the storm made it impossible to see much further than a few yards as the wind rushed between the trees and structures of the settlement, like a pack of wild hunting beasts.

“Oh! I got it!” Akari chased after Ingo’s cap the second the mischievous wind had attempted to run off with it, and she dusted the snow off as best she could before handing it back to him.

“Ah, thank you, Miss Akari,” Ingo, a bit shaken, took his tattered hat back and placed it back on his head, this time holding it down as he looked around for confirmation of the second thing he noticed.

His noble was no longer stationed by the doors.

“Where is Lady Sneasler?” Akari questioned out loud as she squinted through the snow.

Ingo eyed the snow around the halls’ entrance; while the snowstorm was making quick work of smoothing out any lingering evidence, Ingo could see something large had been shuffling about in a particular manner, before large dents in the snow disappeared into the snowstorm.

“It appears she could delay her departure no longer,” Ingo concluded with a deep frown, letting the wind tug on the flaps of his coat, in favor of holding his hat secure.

Ingo was not upset at his noble, of course; he was proud of Lady Sneasler for listening to her maternal instincts and leaving, in order to ensure she made it back to her kits in time, before she got stranded apart from them. It’s what he would have wanted her to do, and he was relieved she didn’t wait for them.

However, this now left him and Akari in quite the predicament.

Akari was silent, unsure what to say at Ingo’s statement as he appeared to start considering options. Without Lady Sneasler here, how could she get back home?

Admittedly, they were inside the hall for longer than a few minutes. They should have hurried more when dropping off the supplies-

-No. Akari should have just gone home with Lady Sneasler when Ingo originally asked, she realized with a sting of guilt.

But what could she do? Ingo had been right about earlier, how the weather would get worse; the snow was coming down harder and obscuring the air, making it impossible to see very far. Even if the Celestica flute could somehow be heard over the snowstorm, it was too difficult for even any Ride Pokémon to navigate the dangerous terrain of the Icelands, whether by hoof or wing.

But Akari would not let herself be a burden. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew it would not be well-received to do so now.

“…Well, I suppose I should start back, even if Lady Sneasler isn’t here,” Akari reached into her satchel for a pokeball, the words coming out slower and heavier than she would have liked. Maybe if she had Ember out with her to keep her warm, she would be fine. “I, um…”

“-Miss Akari, The tracks leading back home are clearly unfit for travel,” Ingo commented as he stepped beside her, holding a hand out to still her search through her satchel. “As it is important for me to observe the safety of passengers, I cannot in good conscience allow you to depart at this time.”

“But, what do I do?” Akari asked him, pushing her hair out of her face as the storm constantly tugged on it. “I don’t want to disturb…this,”

She gestured to the closed doors that led back to the warm, inviting atmosphere of the community dining hall.

They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ingo realized. Except the rock was a dangerous option Ingo wouldn’t let Akari consider, and the hard place was more a decision that would being quiet but palpable social backlash, probably on them both.

Ingo had made up his mind almost immediately that he would not allow Akari to go through this storm; he wouldn’t even attempt it himself if Lady Sneasler was with him. He was relieved she had left when she did.

So what could he do? He brought her here, and allowed her to stay long enough to miss Lady Sneasler’s departure.

He was responsible for her now.

The thought of taking her back to his home crossed his mind, but Ingo quickly realized he couldn’t possibly leave her there to wait for him while he ate in the mess hall; she had not had dinner yet. That would be cruel.

The other few options Ingo ran through his mind all seemed cruel in a similar sense, and therefore were obviously no longer options.

Well, all of them, except for one.

The “hard place” option.

Ingo shut his eyes in a slight grimace. Oh, Irida was going to throttle him.

“You…are welcome to take a detour, and join us for dinner, Miss Akari.”

Fiddling with the brim of his hat, Ingo made the hard decision to extend an offer that wasn’t exactly his to give. But observing the storm, he cemented the decision he just made was the right one.

What else could be done?

“…Really?” Akari broke off her hopeless search for Lady Sneasler in the snowfall, to snap back to Ingo. “Are you sure?”

Well, she had gotten the exact offer she had been hoping for the entire time she was here. But given the circumstances, Akari felt bittersweet about it, and the emphasis was not on the “sweet” part.

Who knew she would would feel so conflicted about receiving an offer she was hoping so badly to get a few minutes ago?

“Of course,” Ingo crunched through the snow back to the doors of the hall. “It would be reckless and irresponsible to pursue any other option.”

“Irida won’t mind?” Akari posed one final question that had started to eat at her, the wind tugging at her scarf while snowfall clung to her hair. “I mean, well, she said I could come back at another time.”

“She will understand once I explain the situation with Lady Sneasler’s early departure.” Ingo grasped the handles of the hall’s doors, ready to open them once again.

Ingo wasn’t so sure how understanding Irida would be in that moment, but it wasn’t like Akari had done any of this on purpose to make things harder.

After all, she didn’t know.

“Alright,” Ingo’s frown failed to match the warmth in his voice, but his soft eyes made up for that. “We should return to the station, it’s warm inside.”

And for the second time that night, the doors opened for all of Pearl clan to see Ingo ushering Akari back into the warm room with him.

But this time, she was staying.

> Chapter 2

#submas #ingo #warden ingo #pokemon akari #pla akari #pokémon irida #irida #pokémon legends arceus #Pokemon legends Arceus #legends Arceus #pokemon fanfiction #Pokémon fanfic #Pearl clan is STRUGGLING #food issues #this one’s a big one haha #this chapter should be alright #but be wary this fic will deal with food and hunger and probably mild starvation #waywardstationfanfic

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