Chapter Text
Juliana had visited Kitakami again, the caretaker asking her to help pay for the rebuild of the statues of the lousy 3, only a mere 100,000€!
She laughed to herself as she walked over to Peachy’s. One for the absurdity of the price, and two at the little nickname she’d picked up for the trio of ruffians from Carmine.
She’d decided to stop by Peachy’s for a few supplies before heading back to Paldea. The kind clerk greeted her kindly.
“Why hello there! Feel free to take a look!” The old store owner greets enthusiastically, giving a small smile.
Juliana smiled back, picking up a few needed items such as a few ultra balls, and a few poke-dolls in case she got in a sticky situation. Her phone buzzed once, then twice, then thrice and so on. ’they can wait a minute’ she internally rolled her eyes.
“Heading back home already?” The old lady asked, taking her coins and placing them in the small register before handing Juliana the items she’d purchased.
“Ah- yeah I am,” she opened her bag to deposit the goods. “I should get back to my studies, I took a bit of a break cause everything was just- a lot.” She let out an exasperated sigh.
Out the corner of her eye, she swore she saw the little Pecha-berry looking sweet move slightly.
“Such a hard worker!” The clerk praised her, drawing her attention back. Juliana was just about to respond when the insistent buzzes of her phone turned to her ring tone. She excused herself from her conversation for a moment to answer who she now knew was Arven.
“Arven-“ she groaned into her roto-phone. “You couldn’t have waited like, two minutes for me to respond to your texts?”
“Nope! Anyways how have you been? I heard you’ve been having all kinds of big adventures, huh, little buddy?” She could practically hear the grin in his voice over the phone.
“Is that it? You called to ask me how I was doing?” She sighed and slumped, though the other obviously couldn’t see. “You realize I’ll be back home later today, right?”
“Ah- yeah right- well that isn’t all. Speaking of home, I uh, since things are returning back to normal” he paused to mutter ”whatever normal is these days” before continuing. “I thought maybe I could you know.. come over to your house?”
“Duh, doofas, anytime! But is something wrong?” She asked, a bit concerned.
“Oh no no nothing at all!” He was quick to reassure. “It’s just we’ve been friends for a year now and I’ve yet to go to your house.. it’s in Cabo Poco right?”
She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see. “A-ah yeah right it is!” She stuttered over the semi long silence she accidentally made.
“Cool! Text me when you land so I can meet you out front, okay?”
“Yup yup, see ya later!” She ended the call and turned back to the clerk. “Sorry about that!”
“Oh no worries dear, I hope you have a safe travel home!” Juliana’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to that sweet she’d seen move, only to notice that the little Pecha-berry candy and mysteriously disappeared from the little cloth it rested on.
“Ah, thank you!” She smiled as she walked off towards the bus stop that’d take her to the small airport on the island, the oddness of the sweet’s disappearance fresh in her mind.