Shopping was a weird experience. In some ways, it was perfectly mundane but there were those brief moments during which things got strange, mostly when Claire and Cynthia interacted. During the three hours we spent shopping, Claire never managed to look at Cynthia without either blushing or stammering, repeatedly shooting weird glances at Joyce during the process.

Maybe things were made worse, when Cynthia methodically prodded Claire about her pack-list, teaming up with Joyce to make sure that everything was accounted for and even adding a few purchases to the ever-growing list.

For myself, things got rather weird when we visited an outfitter and all three of them insisted that I needed new clothes. While I had grown and put on some extra muscle, making my old tops and shorts rather tight and, well, short, they were still perfectly serviceable. Yet, under their combined pressure, I caved and got some new clothes, which I had to model for them.

It was weird.

By the time we were done, it was evening and the last stop on our journey was at the Inn, to check in and have dinner.

“Mom? Grandpa, you’re all here?!” Claire squealed, when we entered the building, before rushing forward. She apparently liked to do that, just as she liked hugging. As Cynthia, Joyce and I were following her at a more sedate pace, Claire did her best to hug each and every member of the decently sized group that had gathered, her family, from the sound of it.

“Hey, Sis.” The woman Claire had hugged first stepped towards us when we were close, pulling Joyce into a hug.

“And you’re here, too, Aunt Cynthia. It’s great to see you again.” she added, surprising me for a moment. My eyes flickered between both women, as Cynthia was hugged, too, before Claire’s mother turned to me.

“You must be Dani. Pleasure to meet you.” she greeted me, before I was pulled into a hug and squeezed. “Please, take care of my Claire.” she quietly whispered when she had me in her grasp.

“I promise.” I replied, knowing that helping Claire to the best of my ability was the least I could do to repay Joyce.

The woman pulled back, giving me a wide smile, even as a few tears escaped her eyes.

“Thank you.” she paused, her eyes widening a little, “Oh, where are my manners. I’m Grace.” She introduced herself. I hadn’t time to react with more than a smile and a nod, before an older woman joined us.

“Cynthia, you need to get off your mountain more often.” she, too, seemed to be from the planet Hug, as that was what she did with Cynthia.

“Elisa, you know how it is.” Cynthia returned the hug, but I thought there was some tension there.

“Always on duty. And who is this one here, Dani, was it?” she asked, still speaking to Cynthia but looking at me.

The rest of the evening was, similar to the earlier shopping, weird. There were a whole bunch of people, the family seemed to be rather extended, and it looked like everyone was there to see Claire off. And, me, as I was apparently adopted on the spot, turning into another cousin some time during desert.

Being around so many people, after weeks of quiet and mostly isolation was a little disturbing, I found myself reacting without meaning to, my hand sometimes wandering to the belt holding my Pokéballs without me noticing, until I touched the cool metal, holding my partners. But there was no danger here, no need to be tense, at least there shouldn’t be.

Yet, tense I was.

Getting to know the clan, even learning the names, would take longer than dinner. Meinard, Elisa’s husband and Joyce’s father, was an example of someone I wanted to get to know better, as he turned out to be a trainer, too, and not as retired as his wife was.

Mostly, I wanted to get to know him better, because he had partnered with Cynthia for a while, before settling down with Elisa. There seemed to be more involved, but I wasn’t about to ask for details, as that connection seemed to be the reason why Cynthia was called Aunt by Grace, though why it wasn’t the same for Joyce, I didn’t know, or ask about.

“You are looking morose. Remember, now is the time to cheer and be merry.” Elisa approached me, as I was standing at a window, staring out into the darkness of night. There was a bit of light, coming from windows and doors illuminating the town, but the direction I was looking in was almost pitch black, the stars hiding behind some clouds. Not that I could see a lot, mostly my own reflection, but I wasn’t really trying to see, anyway.

“Just not used to so many people.” I admitted, not turning around.

For a moment, I closed my eyes and the face that I had seen occasionally in my dreams appeared in the darkness of my mind, the face of my brother. My twin.

Unbidden, a few tears started to trickle down my cheek.

Without a word, Elisa stepped up, placing an arm around me and pulling me close, simply holding me as more tears came.

“Missing your own family, are you?” she asked and I could only nod. For a while, she stood next to me, just holding me, until I managed to pull myself together and wipe off the tears. Not knowing what to say, I simply stood there, not quite sure what I was waiting for. But the calm, quiet presence of Elisa helped to push away some of the loneliness I was feeling.

“Dani, Cynthia suggested we head to bed now, tomorrow will be a long day, with an early start.” Claire stepped up behind us, startling me out of my thoughts.

Stepping away from Elisa and the window, I turned to her and noticed that her ever-present smile seemed to be a little brittle.

“She’s right, you know. The morning will come sooner than you think and every minute of daylight can be valuable. Just because Sandgem isn’t that far, doesn’t mean you can take it easy.” Elisa chimed in, before giving a smile to both of us, “So, off with you, don’t talk too long into the night.” she shooed us off, towards a grinning Cynthia who was waiting nearby.

“There you are, Dani.” she nodded, handing me a key. “Joyce and I’ll share a room, the other is for the two of you. You’ve got Room eight and Claire, your parents brought your stuff with you, make sure to pack away all your purchases. Tomorrow, you’ll head out right after breakfast.” Cynthia reminded us, pointing at a nearby backpack.

“Yes, of course.” Claire stammered, before giving a quick bow and scurrying off. Apparently, the awe she was feeling towards Cynthia had yet to wear off.

“You, too, should try to get some sleep. Unlike before, it’ll be on you and your partners to keep yourself out of trouble, and to keep Claire out of trouble. Knowing their family, that’ll be a full-time job.” Cynthia told me, a grin on her face. Behind me, I could hear Elisa let out a huff, as if offended, but when I turned to look, she just gave me a wide grin.

“But know this: I’m proud of the effort you put in and I’m certain that your efforts will be rewarded, Dani.” she added, before pulling me into a hug and once more, I felt my eyes tear up, just from the approval in her voice.

“Thank you, Cynthia. I don’t know what I’d have done without you, or Joyce. You’ve helped me so much.” I replied, getting another squeeze, before she stepped back and was replaced by Joyce, who had joined us some time during the hug.

“Keep your chin up, Dani. You’ll be fine out there, even I managed to complete a half-circuit, you can do it with ease.” she told me, before pulling me into a hug of her own. “Take care of your partners and they’ll take care of you. And keep an eye on my little cousin, she might get into trouble.”

Accepting her words with a nod, I followed Claire up the stairs and into our room. There, I began methodically packing my backpack, sorting the new purchases and making sure they were well stored and sorted, an act Claire was mirroring.

“It’s finally happening.” Claire said, as she pulled out some of the preserved food, packing it into her backpack. “Leaving home.” her voice got smaller, as she spoke.

“We’ll be fine. Everyone has to leave home, at some point.” I replied, not quite sure what to say to her. I didn’t even remember my home, weird, contradictionary dreams notwithstanding. How else could I dream of two different families, two different lives, the only commonality being my brother?

“It’s still scary.” she sighed, “But I’m glad that you’ll come with me.” The smile on her face looked still somewhat brittle, but it now reached her eyes.

For the next hour, we continued to pack our bags and exchange small-talk, not venturing into too deep topics. Slowly, we were getting to know each other and somehow, I wasn’t so apprehensive about spending days, at times weeks, alone in the wild with her.