Look who's back. Well, actually, not yet, as I doubt that I can make the one-post-per-month rule yet. I want to ease back into this very slowly, so I'd prefer to still be under the "Temporary Absent" status... But I just want to let you all know in the meantime that I haven't forgotten you!
~
The darkness embraced her tightly, squeezing every inch of her body. Slowly, oh so slowly, however, the impenetrable blackness eased away and was replaced by gray, then lavender, then a cobalt blue. The weight of the water above her became less and less as she ascended from the depths. The sunlight became more and more pronounced as the blue eventually changed to a bright orange against her eyelids. As if on cue, the surface of the water broke away for her, and she sucked the still forest air into her lungs.
Melody opened her eyes.
Suspended above her was the familiar canopy of leaves that broke up the sky above them. It was the exact same image she had been waking up and falling asleep to for the past several months. She had ventured deep into the forest sometime in the late spring. She had sensed the faint whiff of enchantment in the air, but had purposefully ignored it for the sake of a peaceable time, a brief break from the anarchy within the mansion. When she had tried to take the same route back, she ended up hopelessly lost. Presumably, she had stumbled upon a powerful Pokemon's territory - maybe Celebi's? - and this Pokemon had distorted all sense of direction for its land. In short, as much as she hated to put it, she had acted stupidly against her instincts and was now paying for it.
Yet, as she stared up at the twisted, spidery branches above her head, something felt different. There was a sense of hope hanging in the deathly quiet air, so faint only a Pokemon could pick up on it. Melody blinked, righted herself in the water, and paddled over to the bank. She shivered as the water evaporated from the exposed skin on her arms and legs. She reached up and squeezed the excess water from her ponytail, wrung out the bottom of her dress, and turned to give the pond she had just been soaking in a final glance before setting off.
Then, something caught her eye, something she hadn't noticed before.
At the other end of the pool, partially hidden on the silty bottom, was what seemed to be a small passageway through the aquatic plants. It almost seemed as if it hadn't existed there before. Surely I would have noticed it if it had, right? she questioned herself. She raised an eyebrow, curious, and dove back into the pool to investigate.
The underwater feature in question turned out to indeed be a pathway, a tunnel leading deep into the thick vegetation. Nothing about it seemed ominous. Melody shrugged to herself and ventured forth. She glided past the submerged plants with ease, their slippery leaves tickling her arms and feet as she slid by. The desire to discover what lay beyond the end of the tunnel pulled her along.
At one point, she felt a current turn against her, churning the water and trying to propel her backwards. She found this to be odd; ponds contained only stagnant water. Nevertheless, she kicked hard, fighting the onslaught of liquid. The plants around her waved wildly, like a thousand arms flailing. After several minutes, she was making no headway, and her strength was sapping. Her muscles tensed and she focused hard in a last-ditch effort to free herself. With a final exhalation, she launched a Hydro Pump from her foot.
Like magic, the force of her water attack propelled her forward, breaking her from the grip of the current with a sound that was uncannily similar to a pop. She flipped head over heels several times in the process, flapping her limbs about in an almost comical way. Once she righted herself, she realized she had expelled herself from the passageway and was now back in open water. At first she assumed she had reappeared right where she had started, but a closer inspection of her surroundings told her she was in a different pond entirely. Hope filled her. Perhaps I've found the way back to the mansion! she thought excitedly. She kicked off of the murky bottom and swam up to the surface.
Melody raised her head above the water slowly and deliberately, peering above the surface to look around. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the building that could only be the PGR mansion. She suppressed a squeak of joy and instead focused her renewed energy on paddling over to the bank. She scrambled onto shore... and froze. She shuffled her feet in hesitation. How long have I truly been gone? she wondered.
( Melody )
~
Ah, I hope this fits! You can reply to this if you want, but... like I said before, I would be extremely, extremely slow in replying back... OTL
I decided against making a post for Luis, as I have been considering replacing him.
Thanks all!
Thyme
