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Julie sat in regional history class the following day, this time toward the front at the end of the third row, writing notes from slides on the projector while the professor lectured ahead.

This was her last class of the day. She was tired and couldn't wait to grab dinner for her and Midnight and throw herself into bed.

Julie also couldn't stop thinking about the text Anna sent her last night that she had yet to open but would have to read and reply to it by tonight since the party was tomorrow. She intentionally sat far away from Anna today, which may not have helped the situation.

Julie just couldn't decide. Usually, she'd decline without a second thought, but there was an odd amount of confliction. Why'd Anna have to ask in the first place?

She shook it for now and turned to her closest friend on campus so far, which didn't hold a candle to Alyssa, but Julie liked her, and they were the same age. "Oh, Angie, you still want to jot my notes down since you missed last class?"

"I can just take pics when we're let out. Don't worry," she said, twirling her hair with her fingers.

"Sure, we're almost done anyway." As far as Julie could tell from the months she'd known Angie, she was a good girl that also happened to major in regional history as Julie did. Although slightly more outgoing and unafraid to stand out with her outfit choices, Angie tended to keep to herself.

Even now, she wore blue jean shorts, high boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt. Her nails were painted a glossy black with mini pink hearts on them. Julie had always wanted to experiment with more elaborate designs but felt it wouldn't fit her.

They first met in the laundry room during their second week due to Angie's flareon taking a liking to Midnight and hit it off, although the interaction was awkward at first. It led to a half-hour discussion about various regions around the globe Alyssa would struggle to sit through for five minutes.

Angie brushed her brown wavy hair aside that had fallen over her glasses, which was usually in a braided ponytail to avoid that. She reached and tapped Julie's shoulder since she was focused on the lecture again. "Hey... you got any plans tonight?"

"No, why?" Julie seldom did unless one of her classmates wanted to get together, which barely happened since she didn't hold up her end of building the friendship.

"I was thinking we could chill at the court later and go over our study guides for the test on Tuesday." Angie shrugged. "We could bring our pokémon too so they aren't stuck inside for an hour."

That sounded nice, actually. Angie was Julie's favorite study partner, and if there was a class out of her three this semester she wanted to study for truly, it was regional history. "Oh, sure. How about we meet there in two hours after class? I'll text you."

"I'll be there."

---

Since she didn't have long to rest, Julie had made a beeline to her dorm after class and was approaching her door. She sighed while stopping before it and getting it open with her key, entering and kicking off her boots to see Midnight sitting on the bed, waiting for her as usual.

He was always happy to see Julie after a long day without her, and she knew so. He just kept most of his happiness inside. Midnight noticed her hands were empty this time, but he'd eaten enough dried berries to hold him over for a while.

"Hold on a sec, love. Gonna wash my hands before touching you this time." She dropped her backpack and rolled her shoulders as the weight left them, then entered the restroom and turned on the sink. A part of Julie didn't want to go back out. She could easily spend every day in this room with her lover, but is that really what she wanted- a rinse and repeat life forever? As great as it felt to be isolated from the public, it was frowned upon.

Julie also didn't want to be socially awkward in situations in the future, and she wanted to experience at least a portion of life as a young adult.

She sighed and pumped soap into her hand, washing them under the warm water. She'd go meet Angie. No more excuses at the last minute and keeping unnecessary distance from everyone. It's why the people Julie met always left her alone after a while, and if there were one she should keep here, it would be Angie. They had things in common.

She shut off the water and left, smiling at Midnight and going to sit beside him on the bed, where she kissed his head. "We're gonna head out at seven." Julie lay back and closed her eyes.

They were? Where? She couldn't just leave it at that. He sat by her chest, seeing her eyes open after a moment. "Umbre?"

She reached and scratched under his chin before letting her hand drop. "Sorry, we're going to the court so I can study with Angie. She's bringing Calda, so you'll get to hang out with her for a while."

Ugh, that flareon. It wasn't right for him to be bitter toward her, but Midnight was past other pokémon, especially ones like Calda with lively personalities- not that he could truly befriend humans.

He was in an odd spot. Another thing his previous years spent mainly in isolation with the principal and currently being Julie's mate did was make it difficult to relate to other pokémon. Midnight's life was different from most of them and still is.

"Breon." He nodded and lay down, resting his cheek against her chest and feeling her run her fingers over his head and ears. He wouldn't show Julie his disinterest. Midnight enjoyed going out to spend time with her, but that's about it. He wanted her to be happy, though, and he knew he needed to drop his current outlook.

---

"Alright, you ready?" Julie zipped up her gray jacket, adjusted her jeans, and then slipped into her boots by the door.

"Bre." Midnight had been waiting at the door by her bag for her to get ready. It's how it always went.

"Kay, come on." Julie grabbed her backpack, unlocked the door, and went out in the hall, letting Midnight follow before shutting and relocking.

He trotted with her down the corridor and sat in the elevator after Julie called it. When they got outside, he looked up at the blended blue and purple evening sky, around them at the grounds lit dimly by lamp posts lining walkways, and at students taking late classes traversing the grounds or chatting at tables in groups. Some sat at benches alone on their phones.

"We should come out at night more. It's a completely different vibe, cooler out and all," she grinned at Midnight. "I know for a fact you like it."

"Umb." Julie wasn't wrong. Even his rings were glowing brighter under direct moonlight, causing people and pokémon to glance his way often. Midnight sometimes had vivid dreams of exploring forests and cities at night, which always had him wake up in a good mood. Maybe he did want to go out more often. It is a part of him, after all.

They entered the food court in just over five minutes since they strolled, and Julie saw Angie and Calda sitting at a bench off to the side. Almost every table in the center was occupied, and Julie disliked sitting around so many people, so she usually went upstairs to the individual restaurants, especially to study.

She approached with Midnight and saw Calda perk upon catching sight of him while Angie was busy texting, but she looked up after noticing her flareon leave her peripheral vision.

"Oh, there you two are," Angie grinned.

"Hey." Julie sat next to her. "Get any rest?"

"Kind of. It was broken by Calda crying for me to take her out. Needa start putting her water up when I need to sleep."

Midnight had stopped at a distance and let Calda complete it, where she didn't hesitate to nuzzle his chin and chest with her head and tuft. He let her, as usual, but pulled his head back slightly and was stiff. Why'd she have to be so touchy all the time?

"Flare," she greeted with an enthusiastic grin upon pulling away.

Angie had been smiling while watching the interaction. "I love him. You can just tell he wants her like ten feet away. Calda never seems to get social queues. Like babe, you're rubbing a brick wall right now."

Julie giggled and kept a grin. "He's just grumpy. He'll warm up. Weren't they playing together last time?"

"Yeah, he was batting her after a good hour of her poking at him. It's cute, though. I think the contrasting personality types go great together." She looked at Julie. "Don't you think?"

Her grin promptly faded, and she watched Midnight peer at Calda and press his paw to her head after she nibbled at his ear, her tail swishing. It made Julie's cheeks get hot. She glanced at Angie. "Uh, s-sure, yeah... You wanna go upstairs?"

Angie could feel the air thicken but wasn't sure what she did to cause it. She felt it was best to move on, so she stood. "Let's."

They all went up to the second floor and decided on the pizza parlor, where only a student couple and a few others were seated across the room. After ordering at the front counter, Julie sat at a booth with Midnight while Calda and Angie faced them.

Midnight was relieved that he got a break from her. He'd happily chat from a distance on the booth and under the table. They were discussing what they'd seen and done so far with their owners in Castelia, as they were both new to the city.

Meanwhile, Julie and Angie were taking their books from their backpack and setting them aside on the table.

"So we're splitting the bill, right?" Julie asked. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it. She and Alyssa had multiple times in the past.

Angie pulled her notebook and pencil in front of her. "Yeah, good idea while on a budget. I think the large pie should be enough for us both. I don't eat much."

"Mhm, same. Might have to take some home, even." Julie was slimmer than Angie, but she could tell Angie tried.

"You all studied up for midterms?" She assumed so, knowing how passionate Julie was when it came to regional history.

"Uh, yeah, I should be, but we'll find out. Why don't we start with a recap and go over our notes from this week?" Julie grabbed her notebook as well and started flipping through pages.

"Umbre bre." Meanwhile, Midnight was still chatting with Calda, who was lying on her stomach with her paws tucked under her chest. They were talking about home and how life was, which wasn't a new subject between them, but Calda hadn't gone in-depth like she was now.

"Flare... flareon fla." She looked down. "Flarey flareon." She'd been homesick since the first week she and Angie got to Castelia, and she's only felt worse as the days passed. She knew nothing about this place and couldn't go out alone to explore. Calda barely had friends, and Midnight was her favorite among them.

He eyed her and noticed the change in her demeanor. Maybe he could open up to her a little. After all, he could relate but was used to that life now. "Umb bre, breon. Bre breon... Umbre." Midnight told her a bit about his life before Julie came into the picture so she didn't feel as alone.

She looked up and grinned slightly, locking eyes. "Flare." It was cute that he'd given her something about him after being reserved for months.

"Oh," Julie grinned and stopped on a page. "We can start with Oblivia if that's okay. It's one of my favorite regions right now."

Angie shrugged. "Sure. That's the ancient one with a bunch of temples, right?"

"Well, sort of. They're all ruins now spread across seven islands, but they used to be complex temples like fire, ice, thunder, and more used to worship certain pokémon. Some islands are untampered natural sanctuaries for many of them currently living there."

Angie pondered. She didn't want to appear clueless in front of the history expert here. Besides, Angie loved the subject too. "Oh yeah, I know people live there too. At, uh, Layuda and Sophian island, right? I know Sophian is the largest island there, has a resort and everything."

"Sophian, yes. Layuda has a dark cloud hovering over that hosts a permanent deadly thunderstorm. It's a risk to go anywhere near it, but a lot of electric types call it home. I think it's a good thing."

Angie could agree. "Yeah, the pokémon get to live without us disturbing them or... catching them, changing or ruining their natural lifestyle."

Julie nodded. "Dolce island is what you meant, the grassy haven where humans could go that reside there but don't. It's also restricted to tourists."

"Mh, I guess I need to study some more," Angie sighed. "I'm usually on top of it. This is disappointing."

"It's cool. That's why we're here." Julie cleared her throat. "Also, could I ask you something... not pertaining to school?" She needed another opinion on this, and Angie was a good candidate.

"Course'."

Julie searched for a way to approach. "So... have you ever been to a party?"

"What, like a house one?" The question was vague, but she assumed so.

Julie nodded.

"Nah, it's never been my thing, but if I do, I'm gonna wait until I'm old enough. I'm pretty clueless right now. Wouldn't want to do anything stupid." She leaned in and rested her chin on her palm. "But my sister sneaked around and went to them even in high school. She just didn't stay on that path and has a decent job and a family now... Did you get invited to one here?"

"Oh," Julie grinned slightly. She didn't want Angie in her business and didn't want a bad reputation here. She'd dealt with enough back home. "No, I've just overheard that some students host them."

One of the employees stepped in to drop off their pizza on a raised platter, which both girls thanked him for.

"So yeah, people do host parties off campus, but it's generally frowned upon. If anything illegal comes to light, I've heard you could get in trouble with the school. It's best to avoid them."

That was something Julie didn't know. She was glad she asked. "Good to know. I'm not a party girl anyway. I was just curious."

"Understandable. It's always good to ask questions." Angie looked the pizza over. "Gonna need a slice before we start working. I'm not retaining info on an empty stomach."

"What do you do during classes then?"

Angie reached for one and glanced at Calda as she sniffed the aroma. "If I haven't eaten? Write notes and zone out, mainly."

Julie giggled. "That happens to me too sometimes." Usually for different reasons since her mind often spun, especially while she and Midnight were apart.