Work Text:
The alpine air above Vast Poni Canyon is cold and clear, but the sky-- barely visible through the fabric of their tent-- is dotted with wispy grey clouds. It’s 2 AM. Moon and Lillie lie side-to-side in a small, makeshift tent, constructed from a tarp and several sticks they found lying around.
The trek through the canyon should take 12 hours at most, but they've been delayed by several dead ends, cave-ins, and particularly annoying trainers along the way. As the sun began to set, they agreed to pitch a tent with the little supplies they had. It's better than falling off a cliff because it was too dark to see, Lillie reasoned.
--
Lillie is sound asleep, lying against her backpack filled with stuffed animals and good-luck charms. Moon’s still awake; the sounds of the canyon, from distant shouts of trainers to the ever-present crowing of Murkrows, are keeping her awake.
Feeling restless, she rolls over to tap Lillie, now sprawled across the floor of their tent, twice on the shoulder. The girl manages to shake herself awake after several minutes, but her eyes are still half-closed.
“...Are you okay?” She mumbles.
“Yeah.”
“Can I go…..can I go back to sleep?”
“I want to look around the canyon.”
She yawns, covering her mouth in embarrassment. “Moon, isn’t it the middle of the night?”
“I can’t sleep,” she mutters. “I want to look at the stars with you.”
Lillie tries to sit up but quickly slumps over dejectedly. Her hair’s tangled into a large, blonde ball, and her face is splotchy, dotted with red patterns from the texture of the tarp. Just a few months ago, I wouldn’t dare let anyone see me in this state. It’s not so bad tonight, however, she thinks. Maybe I’m simply too tired to care...
Against every shred of common sense, Lillie responds. “Okay.”
“I’m really glad,” Moon grins. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
She dusts herself off, wiping off patches of dirt from the cavern outside, and crawls outside the tent, giving the other girl space to wake up. A few minutes later, Lillie follows; she’s still half-asleep, sure, but she’s managed to wash her face and tie her hair back into a ponytail.
Their tent is situated between two large rocks, sheltering them from the fierce winds that occasionally blow throughout the canyon. There’s a natural staircase of rocks to the north that leads up to an overlook, and the ground is dotted with white ferns, lamb’s ear, and patches of grass.
“Are your pokémon going to be alright?” Lillie whispers, standing in the grass outside.
“All of my pokéballs are in my backpack while they sleep. They should be fine,” she assures. “Do you want to climb to the overlook over there?”
“It’ll be safe, won’t it?”
“Of course.” Normally, she would’ve made some quip about how a wild Boldore could easily knock them both to their deaths, but that’d just make Lillie more anxious, so Moon keeps her mouth shut.
Lillie places her hands on the rocks and begins to straddle up the rock face, reaching for the other girl’s hand but quickly drawing away. “I can do this on my own,” she mutters under her breath. “Please catch me if I fall, though.”
“You can do it!” Moon shouts enthusiastically, still a bit hyper from her lack of sleep. “I’ll catch you for sure!”
A few minutes pass and they safely reach the outlook. The rock is surprisingly smooth, but it’s clean; it doesn’t seem as if there have been many people here, she thinks. No footprints in the mud and no soda cans, and most of all, no one else; just the two of them, together in the dead of night.
Moon yawns and slumps down onto the ground, lazily placing her bed-head in the other girl’s lap.
“I’m worried,” she mumbles.
“Hey, that’s my line...” Lillie whispers. Her voice still sounds strained and soft, but the other girl notes that she sounds happy (almost).
“I can see the altar,” she points to a brown structure against the horizon, dotted with mountains in shades of blue and violet. “I think we’ll be able to reach it tomorrow.”
“We will... I just hope it’ll be able to help Nebby.”
“Of course it will," she reassures. "I checked the forecast before we left, and it looks like it’ll be clear tomorrow,” Moon grins.
“Indeed.” Lillie grasps the other girl’s hand in her own and squeezes it tightly. Her skin’s incredibly warm, even in the cold of night.
“You know…” Moon pauses, “You know, I’m so glad you were able to come with me on my journey. I’ve had a ton of fun.”
The other girl smiles, turning her head to face the sky. “So have I. I think I’m finally growing comfortable in my own skin.”
She grins. “I'm glad. You know, I think it’ll all work out in the end. I’m going to challenge the league as soon as we’re able to get Nebby back.”
“You’ll do well, I know for sure.”
“Thank you!”
“The skies are beautiful,” Lillie murmurs, hoping to change the subject. She’s right; in the absence of light pollution, hundreds of stars are visible across the horizon, painted in shades of deep violet and blue. It's simply gorgeous.
“You’re right. In Kanto, the smog was so thick that we could never see the sky clearly.”
“I want to go to Kanto someday...”
“Oh, really?” Moon replies, surprise audible in her voice. “It’s nothing special. I mean, I think… well, I think you could have fun there.”
"I want to travel the world. I think there are lots of beautiful things I missed while I was trapped in Paradise."
"Hearing about your past makes me so sad," Moon murmurs. "But you can tell me anything. I'll always listen to you, you know."
“Hmmm.” Lillie taps her feet on the rocks nervously. “I want to make the world better somehow, like you’ve done for me.”
The other girl turns bright red. “Hey, I really haven’t done anything special.”
"I think you saved my life."
"Don't say that! Uh... well, I think you should look at yourself and all of the things you've done already. You're already wonderful."
Lillie shakes her head groggily. Hoping to dodge the question, she points to the sky, motioning to a pattern of bright stars against the northern sky. She's always loved stargazing, even when she could only see the sky though the thick tinted glass of Paradise. "It's Cassiopeia. The constellation of the vain queen, if I remember correctly."
"Sounds like your mother."
She nods gravely. "Maybe. But there, I can also see Perseus near her. Perseus was a hero in ancient times. A bit like you, I think."
"I wouldn't call myself a hero, Lillie!"
"Some would say otherwise," she smiles.
After a few minutes of calm silence, Moon yawns again, rolling over in Lillie’s lap. “Maybe I’m more tired than I thought,” she sighs.
“We’d better start heading down. It’ll be hard for you to climb if you’re asleep.”
“Jus’ a few more moments, please. It’s calm here, and I like being with you.”
“Okay.”
As the next few minutes pass, Moon’s voice slowly grows softer and softer until she begins to snore, asleep on Lillie’s lap.
“Goodnight, Moon.”