flowerofmtsilver | But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works

But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works

Who: Celebi and Vinnie
What: an exchange of gifts
Where: Celebi's dorm
When: Evening of April 22nd
Warnings: Fainting and crying?

Remembering to knock on doors was not one of Vinnie's strengths.

This door was different.

This one, he stood outside for a good minute, turning the luminous sphere in the palm of his hand. The bauble wasn't even all that spectacular, really - it was really his first experiment in growing a stone, and there were plenty of them out there in larger sizes. Certainly didn't go for a lot of money outside a very specific market. But the sentiment he poured into this gesture was beyond that of any other present he gave this day.

Birthday gifts were only for family - gratitude to the people around him that he would honour beyond reason.

He cupped the stone in his hands and slowly closed his fingers around it, letting its glow seep through the space between each digit. This, he reminded himself as he stared down into its gentle light, would be the very first present he gave to the one he considered his mother. Sure, it was really just a childhood delusion, but... there was no one else he could possibly place in that role. Celebi was mother to all forests, just as he was born of one. She sung him lullabies and smelled of home.

All right. No more stalling. The Venusaur palmed the sphere in his fist and knocked on her door. Then immediately turned the knob and opened it. ~~No, that's still not how it works...~~

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The sight and smell of a very, very small forest greeted Vinnie as he boldly opened the door. It was admittedly a bit smaller than it once was, but these were the sorts of things that happened when your new room mate turned out to be a Charmander. Said Charmander was conveniently not in at the moment, possibly out somewhere with her Britwolf companion. Lucky break at any rate.

Celebi wasn't doing anything of much interest, simply curled up at the base of one of the little trees that generally served as her bed. Her foot was tapping to an unheard song and her fingers followed along, but the minute actions paused as Vinnie looked in. Conversely, Celebi had already been looking rather expectantly at the door with a smile.

"Hi!"

Vinnie stood speechless in the doorway for a moment, just taking in the spectacle of her room. Why... why couldn't his room look like this. It was beautiful here - he hadn't even thought it was possible to grow an entire grove in here. Whole trees. Wow.

He snapped out of it quickly enough though - after all, he was here for a reason. "I got you a present," blurted out the Venusaur, gesturing towards her with his enclosed fist.

Home decorating was a heck of a lot easier when you were the biggest freaking cheater on the planet. She was only abusing herself accordingly.

Celebi blinked. While she had known who was on the other side of the door, she hadn't at all known what the purpose of his visit was going to be. "A present?" She asked, eying his hand excitedly. Gosh, what was this?

She was up on her feet in seconds, and barely a few more had passed before the pixie was attempting to circle around Vinnie's hand. What was it what was it what was iiitttt. She bounced a little on the toes of her feet, her actions fitting her present childish demeanor quite well.

"What is it? Why a present? Hm? Hmm?"

Gosh, so excitable. Vinnie blinked a little before muttering, "It's not much, just..." Well, maybe he should show her. He unfurled his hand, revealing the smooth stone in his palm. Though it was only modestly sized, there was a gleam in its core very much resembled the warmth of sunbeams through a veil of verdant leaves. Vinnie extended it towards her, indicating for the oh-so-eager Celebi to take it.

As for the why, everyone always seemed very confused about his take on birthdays, so he probably had to explain. You know, just trying to pretend like it wasn't as big a deal as it really was to him.

"I like bein' able t'thank family on my birthday, so... I grew this for you." Just connect the dots on what was unsaid.

"Ooh!" The pixie immediately picked up the stone between her fingers, lifting it up to peer at it in the light. Her mouth curved into a tiny 'o' as she looked into it, taking in the sights of the hazy glen within that shiny green orb. The likeness to sunbeams was only amplified by the somewhat diminishing warmth that had come from his hand.

She was twirling around and giggling, apparently attempting to use it as some sort of seeing eye device as Vinnie continued to speak. Don't worry though, she was still listening.

In fact she had to stop her twirling for a moment to properly register what he said. There were several elements of this answer that needed her attention. Things like birthdays and growing rocks. Things like... family...

Celebi looked down at the stone in her palms, turning it over this way and that. Family. He, the Vinnie of the here and now, thought her to be family. Her expression softened as she cradled the stone in her palms once more. Family. She smiled, pulling it close to her and marveling down at it for a moment before she simply held it close.

It was about then that the rest of her caught up with the rest of the thought.

"You grew it...!" What a strange and amusing mess this was landing them all it. And then to continue this trend of turning and exclaiming things, she followed it up with, "It's your birthday!!"

Vinnie was quietly hoping that Celebi had gotten all the twirling out of her system soon - it was starting to make him dizzy. All he could do was to stand and watch, really, with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Still, seeing her so elated by so simple a thing was its own reward. It meant she liked her gift, right?

"I learned 'bout it off some Sinnoh digging forums. And... it's more like the day I picked t'be my birthday," he amended. Vinnie shrugged. "I don't know the exact date. Could be an Earth day present, if y'want."

Celebi blinked, staring at Vinnie for a moment without an ounce of comprehension. It was as if for a moment the Venusaur had something in an entirely different language. What... was... Oh! OH oh oh. A look of sudden realization dawned on her face as she connected a few more dots.

"I always forget there is a day for that!" She admitted. The concept of giving one day a label for something to be appreciated every day seemed counterintuitive. Then again, labeling any day as something very important didn't really make that much sense to Celebi either. Each day was a day. There was not very much to make one day any more significant than another...

The case was different when you only had so many. Days became special. Celebi was a bit envious. There were not any days that she would choose to be her own, considering, but even she could appreciate a day that someone she liked had chosen. So this was the day that Vinnie had picked. Whether or not he had intended it to be, that made the day special enough for her to appreciate it.

"It's a good day to pick!" She slipped her fingers over the smooth surface of the orb, a bright smile finding its way across her face. "You're very sweet to think of others on a day you made your own."

"I'm only myself cuz've these other people," he reasoned with a small shrug. It didn't strike the Venusaur that he was being generous - he wasn't born from nothing, after all. His identity rested in the seeds planted by many, and there should've been a day to honour all these people he owed for being in his life.

Besides, he was never good at asking for gifts anyway.

"Even if I haven't known you all that long, you've still done a lot for me, an'... it means a lot t'me t'have you here."

"Mm, I can't say much of it has been very good!" While it was true that it wasn't her fault that his illness got as bad as it was, it couldn't be denied that it was ultimately her fault that it was given the opportunity in the first place. While she didn't feel awful about it, she felt about as bad as Celebi could muster on a regular basis.

Her smile softened into one that was much more thoughtful though. "... It means a lot to mean a lot."

Off she went to squirrel away her present. It was safely stowed away in a bit of tree for future deliberations. Did she want to keep it here, or did she want to take it to Ilex, or maybe a third option that was not yet explored. A difficult decision indeed. At least thanking him for it was much easier.

"So you should let me give you something too!"

The Venusaur tilted his head just slightly as he considered the things he felt. "S'not the good or bad've it that really matters," he thought out loud, "just that you were there. That lasts longer than any one thing."

He was prepared to walk back to his dorm after a busy night of gift giving, but it seemed like Celebi had other plans in mind. Vinnie blinked, not quite sure how to reply. This was a response he got a few times regarding birthdays - he couldn't really turn down the offer in good conscience, since this was just how everyone else celebrated a person, but his kneejerk reaction was always to remind them, "You don't have to, really." After, the Venusaur didn't like making it feel like an obligation.

"Shhshhshh."

Celebi danced forward and took hold of the Venusaur's hands, gently pulling him farther into the room. "I don't have to, but I want to." Come over here and stand amongst all these plants, Vinnie. They were quite inviting, wouldn't you say. The pixie had hopped up, hovering in front of him and gently touching her forehead to his.

"You're not the only one feeling thankful, so just let us spoil you a little, hm?"

Inviting, yes - he certainly couldn't deny that. Nor could he pull away from the pixie, even though he wasn't quite sure what he was getting into.

"Uh, I don't think I've done anythin' thanks-worthy. I've just been relyin' on you a shit-ton," he told her, hesitantly pulling his face away from hers ever so slightly. He'd already asked one favour of the fairy - receiving more, especially when he felt undeserving of any, was just being greedy. He never liked relying on the gods before, so it was unsettling to have so many freely bestowed.

"You let me in," she told him simply, "and you reminded me of some things."

How to honestly care, for one. That was a big one. Probably the most important one. She often forgot how, so a reminder here and there was very strangely appreciated at times. This was one of them. It didn't happen as nicely all the time either. It wasn't unheard of to want to care for someone and find that there was no degree of mutual affection.

Celebi pulled back and smiled playfully down at him. "Before I get it, you need to make a promise, ok?"

Look, there was a pinky.

"Don't freak out?" They always freaked out.

He stared at that pinky finger suspiciously. Narrowed his eyes, even.

If she had to make him promise, then she was about to do something really freaky, wasn't she.

"Why am I gonna freak out...?"

This was a very insistent pinky.

"You're just going to have to trust me!"

He didn't like this, but... fine. With a sigh, he clasped her pinky with his own. What good was he if he couldn't even trust the spirit of the forest?

"Okay... now what?"

And with a shake, there was a proper pinky swear. Now he was obligated to Not Freak Out, though Celebi had the distinct feeling that this would be promptly disregarded considering the circumstances.

They were rapidly approaching circumstances. "Now you stand still," was her only instruction.

The pixie drift a short distance lower. Celebi let her forehead rest comfortably against Vinnie's chest as she slipped her hands up around his back in a loose hug. With her palms pressed tenderly against his flower, she was ready to begin.

There was not a whole lot that actually went into it. It wasn't really as big a to-do as one might have thought it would have been. Heal Bell made a much bigger spectacle of things. This was only a wish. It was soft, it was quiet, and it was long overdue. The spirit had truly wanted to do this far before now, but she had been patient, waiting to see if the turbulence in his heart would clear and allow things to go on as they should on their own. This wasn't the case. It was time then to tend to her garden inhabitant on her own. She hated to hear it sound so sad. If something as small as this could help...

Her warmth slowly eased through her fingertips as she softly hummed a song. It was a little of her life gently mingling with his, brushing away the ills that kept this flower stagnant and invigorating it. It was a time of beginning anew, and this would not be an exception.

Every wish came with a price. The only visible indication that anything at all had just happened was the fact that Celebi had slowly been continuing to sink lower against him. Life for life. Her wish was granted.

Celebi very (un)gracefully passed out at Vinnie's feet.

Anything Vinnie might've said was silenced as soon as she wrapped her arms around him - even if he wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, something was telling him that no words were due. They didn't have place in this moment. His heart was roughly halfway up his throat and all he could do was nod with eyes wide.

Maybe it was simply being in her embrace or maybe it was something she was doing, but it felt as though his chest was slowly swelling with light. A brightness was growing inside him, like pure sunlit song, and it was spreading through his veins in soft pulses. It felt a rain that washed all ills away, just in time for dawn... the Venusaur hadn't thought that he could feel this way.

Hope was such a delicate thing to grasp - when he held on too tight, it was prone to be crushed; when his hold was weak, it disappeared. Vinnie closed his eyes as hard as he could, trying to drown himself in the feeling in some vain attempt to hold onto it when it inevitably slipped away from him again.

He may have been conflicted, helpless, misguided, unfaithful, over-burdened, hurt and uncertain, but in this one moment, everything was impossibly clear. It almost reminded him of that brief spark that filled him the moment he evolved into a Venusaur.

So he didn't notice that Celebi was sinking until it was much too late to catch her. His eyes blinked open at the sound of a small body hitting the ground.

He stared at her body.

And immediately forgot that promise.

Holy fucking shit what just happened what did she do she's unconscious oh god oh god oh god GOODBYE ETHEREAL CALM.

Vinnie's first instinct was to take her to the infirmary, but as he crouched down over Celebi, he was struck with an intense fear of moving her body. Of somehow hurting her. What if he just made things worse? The idea of running to get someone crossed his mind, but that would meant leaving her for god knows how long, and that was unacceptable. Just his goddamn luck that he left his cellphone in his room while he was out delivering presents, too... what was he supposed to do?

Okay, okay. First step: deep breaths. It was impossible to make good decisions while freaking out. The Venusaur tried his very best to compose himself before carefully, so carefully, cradling the pixie in his arms.

There was a mossy nook in her tree that could be used for a bed. Probably more comfortable than the floor, at any rate - and maybe resting Celebi against the greenery would help rouse her. Even though her tiny body made carrying her an easy task, he still worried excessively as he set her down amongst her things as gently as possible.

That done, all he could do was wait, Vinnie supposed. He went pop! back to Pokemon form and laid on the floor next to her. He'd stay for hours, days if that was needed - smelling sweetly all the while.

It would admittedly take her a fair amount of time to wake up. Her natural cure was already setting itself in motion, but there was not much it could do for actually falling unconscious. Recover would just have to wait until enough time had passed for her to rouse herself from stillness on her own.

For now she slept, and her dreams were simply colors bathed in his sweet scent.

But this was hardly the first time this had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. The pixie knew what to do now. It'd hardly be a gift if the Venusaur had to spend the whole time fretting over her well being.

So even though she was still snoozing above him, after a little while a gentle hand laid itself on top of the Saur's head. The smell of pine was twice as prominent now. This second pixie took a seat next to Vinnie and leaned against his warty leg.

"Thank you for picking me up!"

Holy feakin' geez he had been so focused on the one sleeping Celebi that a second was enough to startle him out of his wits. The Venusaur seized up with shock and suddenly went pop! - ending up with him in human form, sprawled on the ground tummy side down. Oof.

The transformation left a faint tingle down his spine, but it was promptly ignored as he pushed himself off the ground and attempted some semblance of composure. Vinnie stared at the new Celebi, then glanced over the first one, back and forth, trying to wrap his brain around it all. Time travel? Time travel he will never get the hang of you.

"Wh-what did you do...?!" came the obvious question. He clutched his chest, as though trying to better grasp the lingering lightness inside him.

It was totally time travel. A Celebi from the not too distant future, here to ease a worried Venusaur's mind so he wouldn't waste the entirety of his evening.

"I made a wish for you!" Celebi chirped as if that were an answer that would explain anything at all. "And it came true! How are you feeling?"

He furrowed his brows, not quite sure what to make of these events. He didn't feel bad, but... different, definitely. What it was, he couldn't quite place.

"Tingly," was the word he managed, which also served to explain very little. "What was the wish...?"

Tingly. Tingly was good. She could accept tingly.

Celebi smiled a very knowing smile at him. Stories about the forest spirit often proceeded her, so she knew he had to know some of the rumours regarding her abilities. Some of them were quite true.

Maybe she could afford to be somewhat more straightforward.

"For your second budding and recovery~"

He stared at her for a long moment, unsure of what exactly she meant. Recovery...

Uh...

Vinnie narrowed his eyes in confusion, and parted his lips as though to ask something, only for the ability of speech to leave him. Her words weren't sinking in, somehow - or perhaps more accurately, the magnitude of her words was simply too big for him to grasp, or perceive, or understand. Part of him was still fumbling at the truth that was staring him dead on.

The other part of him, however, was trembling, mute and shellshocked. He could feel every symptom connected to terror and yet fear it was not - there was a complete blank in him when he attempted to define the feeling.

At best, Vinnie could only mumble a small, helpless, "Huh...?"

Gosh, Vinnie, how much more straightforward did she need to be?

Not that she minded. Celebi gently took his face in her hands and drew him close. A tiny kiss was bestowed upon his forehead before she tried to explain another time. These were going to sink in eventually.

"You'll need to be patient for just a little longer... but you'll be quite whole again someday, I promise. All five petals and all four leaves, just for you."

So the tingling was... Oh.

That would explain it.

Vinnie suddenly felt very, very small. And he grew very still.

Dumbstruck, he just continued to stare. In the back of his mind, he knew that there were things he was supposed to be feeling: awe, gratitude, joy, exhilaration. But instead there was only this deepening nothingness as he tried to respond and failed. Everything he could try to say, or do, or feel fell short in comparison to this gift. He was unworthy, but had undeniably been blessed. It baffled him. He had no idea how to encompass what all this meant.

This emptiness held a strange sort of freedom, as well. In its own right it was a little frightening, but only because everything suddenly felt infinite in scope. This burden was lifted, and the sudden lightness of his body was overwhelming.

Without his noticing, Vinnie's eyes was growing blurry. He turned his gaze over to the sleeping Celebi for a second, almost as if he needed to ask her to confirm as well - but found her too out of focus to see properly. A tear slid down his face for every blink he tried to shake the haziness from his vision. By the time he returned his gaze to the Celebi that so gently held his face, the Venusaur's cheeks - and her hands - were wet with the unbidden trails of tears. Everything was trembling, from his breathing to his hands, and it all made for speech too difficult to attempt.

Edited 2012-04-24 12:07 (UTC)

There were no words that needed to be said.

As much as he would deny it, Celebi didn't see any reason why she would need a thank you. She wasn't going to ask for one. His happiness and well being would be more than enough of a reward for her for now. Later down the road her tune would inevitably change, as it always did, but she doubted he would really mind all the much. Goodness she hadn't even considered if that would make her a grandma or not. Another thought for another day.

For now there were only crying Venusaurs to consider.

Celebi gingerly brushed through the trails of tears with her thumbs. She placed two more kisses above his eyes, and then she wrapped her arms around his trembling form and pulled him into a comforting embrace of berries and pine. They could stay like that as long as he needed.

Vinnie leaned into the embrace, too numb to resist or return the hug. For some reason his eyes refused to close, no matter how they stung with tears - he felt taut, frozen in this moment.

Having only just come off his illness, the Venusaur had to mentally prepare himself for the reality that he may never be fully recovered. No more waiting for a future that might not happen. It was just something that he would have to compensate for, and to struggle with for years, perhaps. If that meant sacrificing himself in order to continue protecting the things that were dear, then he had accepted that responsibility.

But in one fell swoop, all of that had crumbled away. He'd spent so much time steeling himself for the task, building up calluses and toughening his nerves - but all it took to topple his defenses was a single, hidden, selfish wish that he hadn't allowed himself to want.

It had been so easily granted, too. Had he just let his pride get in the way all this time? Admittedly, there was still a sliver of him that wished this was something he was able to achieve on his own. Something he earned, rather than simply given to him. As though someone that would justify every hurt he'd suffered. But that no longer mattered.

He could only lay his head against her shoulder, and there hey stayed for the longest time. The tears fell freely, but he didn't find it in himself to sob.

It took an eternity, but a tiny, feeble voice eventually found its way to him. "I... don't know how t'pay you back for this..."

She hummed quietly in response, brushing her fingers through his hair. Her voice was a whisper as she spoke to him, murmuring a secret for only him to hear.

"A mother does whatever she can for her children. If its within her abilities, she'll do it."

The smallest hiccup of a sob caught his breath at the word 'mother' - there was an unmistakable longing to the way he proceeded to bury his face against her.

"But... what'm I able t'do for you? I..."

He sniffed rather loudly, and his whole body shuddered at the effort. The urge to simply cry out loud was bubbling up inside him, and he desperately fought to contain the sound.

"I can't rely on you forever..."

Celebi cradled him against her, rocking very slightly. It was a little awkward since she was so much smaller than he was, but they were making do.

"Well, no. Everyone finds their feet someday... but I wouldn't mind if you did." It wasn't like he actually couldn't, if he wanted to. His definition of forever fit very neatly into her definition of a short while. The bitter truth of it remained unthought of, though it was a knowledge that she was ever aware of.

She nuzzled her face into his hair. "All you need to do for me is keep your head up. Ask for help when you need it. You don't have to shoulder life all by yourself."

How many people had it been that gave him the very same advice? By this point, Vinnie had lost count. He wasn't alone. He didn't have to do everything alone. And it was the truth, he knew it - but the problem of pride always took over him. His pride as a man, a Venusaur, as a member of Red Team and a functioning part of their family... if he was really able to put all that away, would it really make him happier? It all felt so counter-intuitive to everything he'd built himself up to be.

His whole life he wanted to be strong, and that meant self-reliant. Pride was something that was naturally tied to his integrity as a guardian. And consequentially, to be given charity had always felt like it diminished him somehow.

But the more he searched himself, the less it felt in tune with the nature of his Typing. Grass relied on the spirit of unity - give and take were an illusion when everyone was connected as one to a greater whole. Vinnie had only begun trying to conquer his temper in this sense, but he still had trouble learning to share his burdens.

The small hiccups were turning into raspy, uneven gasps as the Venusaur struggled to keep his voice as low as it could possibly go. Sasha's room was just next door, and Voile's wasn't far either - if either of them heard, then he'd never be able to live with himself.

He squeezed his eyes shut. If it was okay for him to rely on her sometimes, then he might as well start off with this small request. "Can I be somewhere else right now? Out've hearing range...?"

Well that one was easy. Celebi smiled against his hair.

"Of course."

There was the subtle tug and pull of their surroundings as they shifted around them. The trees of Celebi's room gave way to even more trees. The scent of the forest here was distinctly different from the woods surrounding campus, though they both shared the feeling of being very old. It was dark, even though above the dense foliage overhead it was still early in the evening. They were sitting besides a tiny wooden structure, encircled by a dense ring of trees.

Maybe she had taken the "out of hearing range" bit a touch too seriously.

"Go ahead."

It was only when Vinnie opened his eyes again that he felt sufficiently safe to sniff loudly and repeatedly. His nose was too stuffed to take in the scent of this forest, but there was a palpable age to the air around them - the atmosphere was definitely different enough that he knew they were far from campus.

Even here, his ingrained restraint when it came to such displays was keeping the sound to a bare minimum. There was some irony that it was now that he had the freedom to cry, the need for tears was slowly ebbing away. Maybe it simply came with realizing that there was truly nothing to weep over - in that cocktail of emotions, he found no grief.

He pulled away from Celebi's form to wipe his nose against the back of his hand, and tried to dam his eyes. "Thank you," he murmured. For everything.

Even if his tears were dwindling, there was nothing wrong with their presence in the first place. There was no law that dictated that one could only cry when their was grief in their heart. There were many reasons one could cry, and each was just as valid as the last. Joy, relief... simply crying when there was no other way to try and show these things.

Celebi smiled for him as he pulled away, giggling softly.

"Happy birthday."

Huh. Happy birthday.

The words finally sunk in.

A stray sob turned into a small, stifled chuckle as an involuntary smile began to spread across the Venusaur's face. It was blossoming out from the core of him, this indescribable feeling of relief. Utter thankfulness.

He was... touched. There was a stupid sort of happiness in him that bubbled outwards, regardless of what he willed - fuck, he felt embarrassed for even tearing up over this, what was wrong with him? How did he ever manage to end up with the attention of all these gods?

"Ha... I guess it is." Nice recovery from crying like a baby there, Vinnie. Bashfully, he busied his hands with rubbing his eyes some more, but the smile couldn't be wiped away.

Well, Vinnie, in this god's case it was because you smelled absolutely fantastic. It helped that were such an adorable little butt as a kid, too. Your moebeams were far too much to be handled.

But there. There, there, there. That was what she wanted. This unrestrained smile of his was one that she had been wanting to see for a long time. This was far more than enough for the pixie.

She giggled a bit louder, sitting back in the cool grass as her wings gave an excited buzz behind her. "Good!"

Oh god, first he had to get the tears out of his system, and now he had to get the smiles out. It was strange, being able to grin this wide - he hadn't done it so genuinely in so long. There were words he wanted said, but it was a little embarrassing now with all this dopey happiness in the way.

When he was finally able to tone it down, the Venusaur bowed for her - a rarely exercised formality. Though it wasn't a thing that was necessary, per se, it just felt correct. A more traditional show of respect and fealty, to show how serious he was.

"Even if it was a gift... I'm still in your debt. For the whole've my life." Vinnie's voice became hushed as he added, "Sons will always be indebted to their mothers."

The Green Sphere had been his way of accepting the bond in his own heart, but this was a commitment he could never forswear. He continued in speaking, telling her, "If there's anything I could ever do for you, I will. Whatever you ask."

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But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works

Welcome to the room that makes no logical sense.

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sneakin in a tag

you sneak

i am ninja

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