The Heat of the Future's Glow

Rebelle grumbled to herself as she crouched in the basement store room underneath her squalid shack in the slums of Brookfell, rummaging through the piles of trash and scrap in search of more fuel to feed the starving fire which flickered weakly at the bottom of the battered, rusty trash can in the center of the room. The low-hanging ceiling formed by the floor above was covered with layers of worn plastic tarps and tattered blankets in an effort to trap as much heat in the small subterranean space, absorbing and reflecting the precious energy back down towards the stone floor and walls.

“I really should try and catch one of those Shurtles which are all over the place, shouldn't I Molly? I'll bet that they would make this less miserable if nothing else...”

Molly nodded sluggishly from where she sat near the trash can, her metallic tendrils wrapped around the as much of the can as she could in an effort to leech as much heat from the fire as possible. The poor thing still wasn't used to how much more quickly she got cold after her fusion more than a year ago, and for as long as Rebelle had known the small Pokemon Molly had hated the colder months.

Standing with her arms full of pieces of broken pallete wood and old cardboard boxes, Rebelle walked over and set the refuse in a pile near the fire and began feeding it into the trash can. Normally she didn't mind the winter months as much as her partner; during the day she kept warm via exertion while she was running packages and in the evenings the colder temperatures helped drive folks into the local clubs and bars, warming the spaces with their collective body heat and providing plenty of opportunities for her to find some cutie to spend an evening with away from her cold shack. Tonight, however, was different; Rebelle hated Christmas Eve. All of the good hangouts were closed so the folks who ran them could be with their families and without any sort of steady partner at the moment there wasn't anyone who Rebelle could spend the holiday with. All of this meant that unlike most nights which were spent in a foggy haze dancing at a club or hooking up with someone, she was stuck at home with only her thoughts and Molly for company.

That wasn't to say that Rebelle disliked spending time with the Ferreanie. Far from it; she was grateful that she wasn't completely alone during the holidays anymore. She couldn't even remember that first dreary Christmas after the Nothing had come, having spent it drugged out of her mind rather than thinking about her family and especially her father, and the holiday season the year after that had been spent leeching off of her boyfriend at the time and doing anything she could to stay distracted. It had gotten so bad that they'd gotten into an ugly screaming match over her behavior which ended with a messy breakup, but even then the rush of adrenaline and anger served to divert her thoughts. Once she'd become permanently fused with her Toxtricity Nera it had gotten much more difficult; most substances just didn't last very long in her systems as her body rapidly processed the toxins and chemicals into electricity which just left her feeling energized without much of a lingering buzz to distract her.

That third Christmas in Reignsrest had been the roughest; Rebelle wasn't prepared for just how ineffective her usual coping methods would be and had suffered an emotional breakdown alone in the poor excuse for a home she had made since arriving in Brookfell. She'd nearly given in and considered trying to find some way to get to Wintervale to see her mother, even in spite of what Anne had done to their family. Only Molly's loyal companionship had helped carry her through those dark nights and now this year she was trying to focus on caring for her partner instead of wallowing in the past, not that Molly was going to let her be alone no matter what she wanted to do. Pausing in her thoughts as she realized that she had been dwelling on the very things she was trying to avoid, Rebelle stopped feeding the fire long enough to light a hand-rolled cigarette with a piece of burning cardboard before dumping the rest of the pile into the blazing fire.

Sitting down on the warm floor around the rejuvenated heat source, Rebelle pulled Molly into her arms and zipped her jacket up around the pair of them, leaving Molly's head peaking out above the collar of the outerwear. She then wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and reached for the packet of crumbled aluminum foil which was resting against the base of the trash can. Carefully unrolling the seam which sealed the packet shut, she felt her mouth water as steam escaped and the scent of hot, cooked meat and potatoes filled the room. Unfolding the foil into a crude plate, she grabbed one of the larger pieces of tender meat and held it up to Molly's mouth.

“There you go girl; how's that taste? I hope it was worth the wait.”

Chuckling as the Ferreanie gleefully scarfed down the morsel, Rebelle grabbed a chunk of potato and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed she couldn't help but smile as the heat of the meal pushed back the cold night air and the room began to slowly warm up. The past hurt, sure, but the future seemed bright and full of hope. She just needed one solid break, one good connection, and then she could get both of them out of the slums and make something of herself. No more freezing winter nights and meager stews cooked in used aluminum foil. That would be her resolution as they entered the new year, and as Rebelle and Molly cuddled together near the warmth of the fire with full tummies and hopeful hearts she smiled. Maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after-all; not when she had others to spend it with.