Footsteps in My Shadow [NICOLE]

Nicole gave a small huff as she was lead to where she was to be meeting the Celosian Queen, glancing at the guards who were leading her every once in a while.  She honestly didn't know what the woman wanted, all she knew is that once she had made her new home, she had suddenly been ordered to appear in Ignacia.  So here she was, being paraded through the hall in a very fugitive like manner...  Or something like that, she could have been overreacting.  Soon though, the halls changed and a pair of doors loomed in front of her and the guards making her give a small glare that she instantly blinked away as the doors were opened.

The room she was ushered into was huge and slightly more Gothic than the rest of the palace.  That, however, was not what she had her eyes trained on.  With slightly narrowed eyes, Nicole's attention was drawn to Akane.  Slowly she forced a small smile on her face.  "I would say it is nice to see you again, but I kinda don't like the circumstances that brought this meeting about."  She said, moving forward slightly when the guards moved aside slightly.  "Mind if I let Nero out?  I didn't want him to do something stupid while I was on my way here.  He'll be under control, I promise, but he didn't appreciate the threatening any more than I did." 

Nicole reached for the pokeball on her backpack that contained her best friend.  As soon as she opened it, Nero took his place at her side, glaring at Akane with distrust.  "Down Nero, we're not here to fight."  Nicole said placing her hand on the Ninetails' head.  Nero let out a huff and stood down at those words, though he still kept an eye on the Houndoom at the other woman's side.

When the queen asked her age, Nicole felt one of her eyebrows raise in question.  "You don't know how old I am?  I could have sworn you did."  She started before shaking her head slightly and deciding to answer not only the age question, but the question about the Jagged Ridge.  "I'm fourteen, and yes, the settlement on the Jagged Ridge is mine.  It's my new home."  She stated in confirmation.  "Why do you want to know?"

Nicole continued to hold her eyebrow up in question as she stared at the queen in front of her.  "Do you think me some sort of conquer?  I took the Jagged Ridge, because I wanted somewhere to live away from other people, and because the desert has always been my home!  No sane person would go to that place because no one knows how to survive in the area."  She stated, finally lowering her eyebrow as she moved to close her eyes and shake her head.  Nero gave a huff in agreement to what Nicole was saying while finally taking a seat by Nicole side.  "Are you scared of me or something?  You make it seem like I'm doing something wrong!  I just want a home that is away from a lot of people!  Away from my past!  Away from the responsibilities that would fall on my shoulders if I was to go back to the mainland!"  She finally said before looking away trying to play off what she had just said.  Why had she just blabbed that?  Seriously?  Why the heck did she just outright say the last sentence.

Nicole was surprised by the question. What was she going to do with it? She was going to live there for one thing, that was a given, but what else was she going to do? She then thought about the cave she had found and an idea came to her, almost spur of the moment. “I’m obviously going to have my new home there as said but… I was thinking… Maybe I could make a contest hall there as well.” The idea was said before it was thoroughly thought through, but it was said and done, and there was no way to take it back. Though the more she thought about it, the more Nicole was beginning to like the idea.

“And for reference, the only reason I am getting upset is because I feel like my life is on the line with whatever word choice I make. I’m not an idiot. I may be young, but I have survived by myself, while being raised by Nero when he was a Vulpix. I had to learn how to get by on what I could find and what I could make off of selling things I found while I traveled the desert of Hoenn. In a sense, I haven’t been a child since I was five, though, I am childish at times, and I don’t know how to deal with social situations, and I snap when least expected, I can never truly be considered a complete child.” Where that speech had come from, Nicole had no idea, but she had said it, and now it was out in the open, and she wasn’t done yet.

“Yes, I wish to erase my past. But I’m sure that someday it will catch up with me. Until then I just want to live a relatively peaceful life where it won’t affect me. All that I am is not defined by a name slapped on after the name I was given by my parents. I grew up without that name for nine years, why would I need it now?” This time Nicole felt the rest of her confidence dwindle. Nero, who had been silent the whole time, nudged her hand with his nose to show his support of her. Looking at him briefly, she gave the Ninetails a small smile and a pat on the head before she looked back at Akane.

As she did so, a small thought went through her head. Why are you looking at me the way you are right now?

Nicole didn't know how to feel about the statements made by the woman in front of her but she decided to just roll with it at the moment.  "I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything...."  She muttered to herself before she stood up a little straighter ready to address the subject of conquering and age...  But decided against it at last minute.

When Akane brought Nero into the conversation though, Nicole froze up, a quick glance going down to the Pokemon who looked back up at her.  The two exchanged a clear conversation then, as though trying to figure out whether or not to go with the truthful story or continue the lie that had been going before.  Finally, after maybe a few minutes Nicole and Nero both nodded, as though they had come to a clear decision, and Nicole turned her eyes back towards Akane.  "How much of a story do you want, might I ask?"  She questioned, a strange way to respond to what would have seemed to be a very easy question to answer... if there wasn't something to hide along with the story. 

"And don't take that question as insolence, because I'm not buying the whole 'I'm not as intimidating as I look' thing."  That last sentence could have been better thought out, but it kinda slipped out before that could happen.

Nicole thought about it for a moment, letting all the questions and the comments made by the woman in front of her sink in. She then looked at Nero who merely canine-shrugged slightly.

“I guess I should take the comment about power as a complement. But I’m going to put that off for now, and answer the questions that you have asked. Nero was given to me when I was a child. How old, I’ll leave up to your own personal imagination. There is your story starter, make your own assumptions. As for my last name… Well, that is a whole other story altogether and one I don’t feel like disclosing at this moment. Take that as you will. That way there is no lies to speak about.” She said quickly and precisely. Nero decided then to head butt her leg and give her a look as though telling her to at least give the woman something, otherwise she would do something else to make this conversation even tenser.

“Oh fine… My last name is important in Hoenn and you can find out why if you look it up. Just know that I really don’t feel like I have a full affiliation with the name, it’s just nice to have.” She finally said giving the Ninetails a dirty look briefly, while at the same time questioning him with her eyes about whether he was happy or not. Nero, in turn gave a small nod of approval.

Did this woman know not the definition of whip lash? Nicole felt herself reeling slightly from the suddenness of all the changing topics and emotions. Because of this she found herself staying silent for a long period of time trying to sort everything out into nice organized sentences and topics. Her running a town? Ha! That would be the most ridiculous thing she could do when she could barely run her Pokemon in an orderly fashion (coughRheaandKaicough). The other bits of information she pieced together made her a little uneasy in some ways, but in others it made her a little more secure. Finally she found the words that she needed to put together her response and give it.

“If you promise me the same in not attacking me. I don’t want to wake up one morning with my home overrun by your solders because you got bored one day and decided that I was an easy target. If you feel the need to keep my land, and my life in your hold until I’m a legal adult, fine, whatever, just don’t try to pull the “I’m your mother and I can tell you what to do” card on me and we will get along great. About my contest hall? I would greatly appreciate the help with getting it started. There is one thing I think would work greatly, as the supposed gift of peace, and that-…” Here she paused with a smirk, the thought just crossing her mind as to what she wanted. One of her hands shot up, a finger pointing to the chandelier above her “…Would be that chandelier. I think it would work rather nicely in my contest hall.”